India vs New Zealand: Team India receive special welcome by Maori community at Bay Oval

Team India started the series with a bang, winning the first ODI by eight wickets in Napier and the visitors will look for a similar performance in Mount Maunganui to extend their lead in the series.

The Indian cricket team received a special welcome by the Maori community at the Bay Oval which will play host to the second ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand which will be played on Saturday.

Members of Indian cricket team with Maori community(BCCI/ Twitter)

Virat Kohli and his troops started the series with a bang, winning the first ODI by eight wickets in Napier and the visitors will look for a similar performance in Mount Maunganui to extend their lead in the series.

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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) uploaded a picture of their special welcome at the stadium and their post read: “#TeamIndia received a traditional welcome at the Oval Bay from the Maori community.” 

Head coach Ravi Shastri too was blown away by the special welcome and he posted couple of pictures on social media with the caption: “‪Great to be welcomed and blessed by Māori pōwhiri from Ngai Tukairangi and Ngati Kuku, the manawhenua for the Bay Oval area.” 

After a near perfect beginning, India would look to tighten the noose around a struggling New Zealand with a barrage of spin in the second clash of the series. The hosts seemed rusty against a team coming off a historic tour of Australia and know beating an in-form India will be steep climb at the Bay Oval here.

India are yet to finalise their middle-order ahead of the World Cup but are unlikely to tinker much with the playing eleven after just one game.

Hardik Pandya has left to join the squad in New Zealand after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) revoked the interim suspension on him and K L Rahul but most likely, he will be available only from the third ODI onwards.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Micthell Santner, Tim Southee.