IND vs NZ, 5th ODI: India have 100 overs to win series, build confidence

India need runs from seniors, a collective bowling display and Iyer to lead from the front in the fifth ODI

India lead the five match series 2-1, but they have also just slumped to a 244-run loss — their second biggest ODI defeat — in the fourth match on Friday.

India need to win the 5th ODI to clinch the series vs NZ (CREIMAS)

Two days after a setback of that proportion, can India be called favourites to win the fifth ODI and notch their first ever away series win under Gautam Gambhir?

Any other venue would have probably quelled that talk. But at Mount Maunganui, where the pitch has consistently favoured fast bowlers, India could be left squirming.

This is exactly the conundrum Gambhir was probably firing warning shots about when sides were plundering 400 plus totals during the West Indies series at home last month.

“When you play in India, obviously you all know that there is hardly anything for the bowlers,” Gambhir had said after the defeat on Friday.

“But when you come in these conditions, you know that there is actually a good contest between bat and ball, so this is probably the closest (conditions to the World Cup). So obviously I would be concerned because not only in this game, but even in the previous game, we were 7 down for 111-112, so for me the bigger concern (from Friday's game) is not the runs, it's how quickly we got bundled out.”

The scale of Friday's defeat was alarming, not merely because of the margin but because of the pace at which India capitulated. The immediate challenge, thus, is to restore confidence in India’s top order batting. And that falls squarely on the shoulders of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, though Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad too would be called into the act.

For Kohli and Sharma, this is the last time they would play international cricket in New Zealand. And while Kohli has already shown how to play in these conditions, Rohit’s stint has been surprisingly lacklustre.

Since 2023, Rohit has tasked himself with setting the tempo of the innings without caring much for the extent of his contribution. But it won’t harm India’s cause if Rohit chooses to build his game for a change.

Likewise, Gaikwad too needs to show that he can provide the kind of assured start that Shubman Gill has offered in recent times. The first aim should be to avoid a top-order implosion at any cost, before finding a way to keep the scoring rate consistent while respecting the conditions.

Because that’s exactly the strategy India need to follow next year in South Africa, where the average ODI first innings score hovers around the 260-run mark. Not only do India need to understand that, but also rehearse their scoring process keeping that in mind.

The problem here is India are set to return to playing at home, that too against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe who haven’t been exactly rocking ODI cricket. A Test series in Australia after that, followed by the IPL, and India would be left with barely three or four months before the ODI World Cup.

On the bowling front, India need greater discipline with the new ball as well as finding a way of controlling the middle overs. Whether Mohammed Siraj finally gets a chance remains to be seen, but Kuldeep Yadav — who has been released from the Test squad — will be under pressure after conceding 73 runs on Friday.

There is, however, a significant difference between the two teams heading into the decider. New Zealand will be without Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, both having left to join the Test squad. Henry's departure is particularly significant after his demolishing job on Friday, but Jacob Duffy might return with a similar skill level.

For Iyer and India’s team management, the challenge is to strike the right balance between winning and experimentation. There are combinations to settle, individual performances to assess and technical weaknesses to address. But none of those considerations can take precedence over the result.

The fifth ODI offers India an opportunity to respond after Friday’s debacle, but they will have to do considerably more than just avoid another collapse. They need runs from their senior batters, a more convincing collective bowling performance and a captain who can lead from the front.

Which makes Sunday’s game a very interesting encounter. There is a series to be won. There is also a lot of damage to repair and confidence to build. And India have just 100 overs to accomplish both.