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India Claim Top Spot in ODI Rankings with 90-run Win over New Zealand

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill smashed hundreds before Thakur's three-wicket haul

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Aditya Saikrishna
Aditya Saikrishna
I am 21 years old and an avid Motorsports enthusiast.

INDIA: Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill laid the foundation for a run-fest at the Holkar Stadium with a 212-run opening partnership before Shardul Thakur’s all-around effort helped the hosts beat New Zealand by 90 runs. India completed a 3-0 whitewash over the visitors, which propelled them to the top of the ODI rankings.

Indian Inning 

India got off to a fast start thanks to an excellent exhibition of aggressive batting by Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. Both batters hit sixes galore in their respective innings. 

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The duo added 22 runs in the eighth over as Gill cut, drove, and steered Lockie Ferguson for four boundaries and a sixer. Rohit pulled and lofted Jacob Duffy for a boundary and sixer in the subsequent over, matching Gill stroke for stroke.

India scaled the 100 runs mark in just the 13th over. Rohit ultimately reached his hundred in the 26th over, followed by Gill, who also made it to the landmark in the same over. 

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At the time, India could have reached 450, but New Zealand did an excellent job of regularly making incisions to slow the hosts’ scoring rate once both openers perished after getting their hundreds. 

Michael Bracewell castled Rohit as he attempted to play across the line, and Blair Tickner dismissed Gill with a peach of a delivery.

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Virat Kohli played a brief 36-run cameo as New Zealand claimed the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar. 

Shardul and Hardik Pandya put together a timely partnership of 54 runs in just over five overs to steer India to a formidable total of 385/9. 

New Zealand Inning 

On just the second delivery of the inning, Finn Allen played Hardik Pandya’s short-of-length ball onto the stumps, denying New Zealand the quick start they needed.

However, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls countered with a 106-run stand for the second wicket, scoring 138 runs off 100 balls. 

In addition to using their feet to exert pressure on the Indian bowlers, the duo played the scoop, pull, and slog-sweep shots easily on the batter-friendly pitch.

Kuldeep Yadav caught Nicholls in front of the stumps with a skidder, but Conway continued to play freely despite losing his batting partner. 

He employed the slog sweep, reverse sweep, and occasionally coming down the track to challenge Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. 

New Zealand was still in the hunt with 184 for 2 in 25 overs. However, Thakur bowled a game-changing spell to put India on top.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, who posed a threat, were both eliminated by Thakur using the cross-seam short ball. 

Kiwi skipper Tom Latham became Thakur’s third victim, perishing off the first ball he faced. 

New Zealand suffered a devastating blow when their centurion, Conway, chipped Umran Malik to Rohit at midwicket in the 32nd over. 

Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell made good contributions. Still, they couldn’t repeat their heroics from the first ODI, and the visitors were eventually bowled out for 295 in the 42nd over.

Shardul Thakur received the Player of The Match award for his cameo with the bat and a three-wicket burst, while Shubman Gill received the Player of The Series for his stellar batting efforts throughout the series.

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer to Miss Entire ODI Series against New Zealand Due to a Back Injury

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