India eye series, New Zealand a win to stay alive

Two defeats have left New Zealand facing an early series defeat, but India's victories too haven’t been comfortable

India have won the first two ODIs in New Zealand, and the series seems to be nearing its end for them. Except it’s not. New Zealand have lost twice in a row, yet the cricket has provided enough intrigue to suggest the series hasn’t been one-sided. The third ODI at Hamilton offers an opportunity to make the series closer, purely because of the conditions on offer.

India's Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli (R) touch gloves during the 1st ODI cricket match between New Zealand and India at Eden Park in Auckland (AFP)

It’s been raining in Hamilton, making the pitch preparation an agonisingly slow process. And since it has been under covers for considerable lengths of time, seamers from both sides would be more than happy to give it a go. For India’s batters, this could mean a much-needed extended workout after unconvincing performances in the first two one-dayers.

That is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the series so far. India have been superior, but their batting has not yet delivered the sort of sustained performance that would make them invulnerable. Kohli's Auckland innings was a reminder of his enduring ability to control a chase. His Wellington dismissal, however, was a reminder that even the most reliable batter can be made to look ordinary when the conditions and the bowler are in agreement.

Shubman Gill has had a similarly mixed series. His 37 in the first match was useful, but the first-ball dismissal in the second match must have been frustrating. Rohit Sharma, too, has yet to make a substantial contribution. India have enough batting resources to absorb these setbacks, but they will want their senior players to spend more time at the crease.

That apart, India’s Test cause too gets a boost with the one-dayers forcing adjustments that shirtfront pitches of the subcontinent don’t really warrant. “No one will make Test adjustments during a white-ball (series), but at the same time, the way the wickets were in both ODIs, there was swing, and after five-six overs, when the swing stopped, there was seam movement too, and you could say a little bit of awkward bounce too," said India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak ahead of the third ODI.

"You will still have a one-day intent and mindset in one-day, but the wickets here, with thicker grass, 12-14mm grass, the conditions—you get an idea even in the one-dayers. You may not get wickets that are as green as you get in Test matches (in New Zealand), but it's quite good conditions to play in, and it's challenging to have 140-type matches. It's not like they are 300-type matches. It's a good thing, I think.”

Luke Ronchi, New Zealand’s batting coach, too seemed to agree. “The bowlers have actually got the upper hand, there's nothing wrong with that,” he said. “Like traditionally, you go around the world, especially in India, if teams don't make 400, you're in trouble, so it's just ridiculous, so (it's good) to see the bowlers have an opportunity and get some (helpful) conditions, because you still have to bowl well on it and both teams have been doing that, so I think that's a cool thing to see as well.”

Be that as it may, New Zealand seem to be facing a concern even more fundamental, given how their top order has just not given the middle order enough to work with. Daryl Mitchell has been left to do too much of the rebuilding, while Mitchell Santner's lower-order contributions have been useful rather than transformative. Mitchell remains their most dependable route to a substantial total, but New Zealand need any one among Will Young, Tim Seifert or Henry Nicholls to bat beyond the first 15 overs.

New Zealand’s bowling, at least, has offered some encouragement. With Jacob Duffy and Jamieson exposing the vulnerabilities in India's top order at Wellington, New Zealand would be encouraged by Hamilton’s conditions. But so would India’s bowling, backed by a consistent seam attack. Gurnoor Brar has emerged as a timely intervention, combining discipline with the ability to extract bounce. Anshul Kamboj has offered control, while Arshdeep Singh has brought the experience and variation required to complement them. Managing this without Jasprit Bumrah says something about India’s resources and how they have utilised them.

Hamilton may offer New Zealand a more familiar setting, but home conditions alone will not solve their batting problems. India, on the other hand, have a straightforward decision to make—whether to retain a winning combination or use the opportunity to examine their options. With the series on the line, there may be a temptation to rotate, but Gill should know that a third consecutive victory would be more valuable than an experiment that doesn’t work.