Revision as of 21:08, 6 February 2023

Australia tour of India, 2023

ODIs

3rd ODI, Indore: India wins

Gaurav Gupta, January 25, 2023: The Times of India

Scoreboard- Australia vs India, 2022- 3rd ODI, Indore
From: Gaurav Gupta, January 25, 2023: The Times of India

Indore : On Monday morning, some of the Indian players visited the Mahakaleshwar temple in nearby Ujjain to pray for Rishabh Pant’s fast recovery. Perhaps they should also have prayed for some mercy for the Kiwi bowlers, who have been found wanting on this tour.


India’s openers were simply on fire, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill slamming superb centuries to pulverize a clueless New Zealand attack on a belter at the Holkar Stadium in the third ODI.

Their 212-run opening stand in just 157 balls was India’s highest partnership for the first wicket against the Kiwis in ODIs. With Rohit and Gill destoying the bowling after being put in to bat, at one point it even seemed India could scale ‘Mount 500’ for the first time in ODIs. A mini-collapse, though, slowed them down, before a typically belligerent half-century by the explosive Hardik Pandya (54; 38b, 3x4, 3x6), and his 54-run alliance in 34 balls for the seventh wicket with Shardul Thakur (25 off 17 balls), took India to 385/9.


Showing why he is rated among the top openers in world cricket, Devon Conway then cracked a brilliant 138, getting to three figures off just 71 balls. But India, spearheaded by a Shardul Thakur burst (3/45 in 6 overs), managed to bowl out New Zealand for 295 in 41. 2 overs.


Having won all the six ODIs it has played at this venue, India can claim that the Holkar Stadium, a high-scoring venue, is its fortress.

The convincing 90-run victory helped India regain the No. 1 ranking in ODIs as the hosts pulled off a 3-0 clean sweep. The T20I leg begins in Ranchi.

With India resting regular pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, Pandya provided India with the perfect start when he had Finn Allen playing the ball on to his stumps for a two-ball duck. Conway, however, kept the Kiwis in the hunt, adding 106 off 87 balls for the second wicket with Henry Nicholls (42 off 40 balls), and then 78 for the third wicket with Daryl Mitchell (24).

Thakur stepped up at the right time, ripping the heart out of New Zealand’s innings when he dismissed Mitchell, skipper Tom Latham and Glen Phillips in quick succession. When Conway hit Umran Malik straight to Rohit at mid-wicket, and the dangerous Michael Bracewell (26) was stumped off a wide down the legside off Kuldeep Yadav (3-62), the game was done and dusted. On the eve of the match, India coach Rahul Dravid had joked that as soon as they landed in Indore, all the bowlers shied away from bowling on the flat pitch here. The small ground adds to the bowlers’ woes. India’s innings, incidentally, included 33 fours and a record 19 sixes.

India’s momentum was broken when Rohit, going for another big one, was bowled by Michael Bracewell, and Gill was caught at point while mistiming a cut off Blair Tickner. Ishan Kishan (17) sacrificed his wicket for Kohli and was run out, Virat Kohli (36 off 27 balls) spooned Duffy to mid-off, while Suryakumar Yadav (14) mistimed his trademark flick to long on to Duffy as well. However, Pandya’s strong forehands, resembling that of a tennis player, fetched him a few sixes. With Thakur chipping in with little cameo, India were back on the fast track.

It will take a while for the Kiwi bowlers to erase this brutal hammering. Playing just his third ODI, Jacob Duffy picked up three wickets but ended up conceding 100 in his 10 overs. Blair Tickner too took three but his 10 over quota went for 76.

New Zealand vs. India

ODIs

Hyderabad: India wins

Solomon S Kumar, January 19, 2023: The Times of India

HYDERABAD: After scripting a fairytale-like series win in Pakistan recently, New Zealand seem to have carried the luck with them across the Wagah Border as they nearly pulled off an improbable victory in the first ODI of the three-match series against India.

Chasing 350 for victory, the Kiwis fell 13 short as they finished at 337 with Michael Bracewell scaring the Indians with his 140 in 78 balls (4x12, 6x10).

While Shubman Gill blazed a double century under the afternoon sun, Bracewell took the fight to the opposition in the night, striking his second ODI century. The first one an unbeaten 127 against Ireland was in a successful 300 plus chase. Australian Glenn Maxwell is the only other batter at No. 7-11 to score a century in a 300-plus successful chase in ODIs. With Mitchell Santner in tow, Bracewell caught the Indians unaware after being reduced to 131 for six in the 29th over. The Kiwis needed 219 off 21 overs with four wickets in hand and no one gave them a chance, but the duo launched into the Indian attack and runs began to flow at a steady pace. At the end of the 45th over, New Zealand were 291 for six and needed 59 off 30 balls.

Rohit Sharma threw the ball to Mohd Siraj, who had just one over left, and the Hyderabadi had Santner (57) caught by Suryakumar Yadav off the fourth ball to end a defiant 162-run stand. Siraj followed it up by castling Henry Shipley (0). Siraj ended with his second consecutive four-wicket haul (4/46). This is the best bowling figure on this ground, erasing Umesh Yadav’s four for 53 against Sri Lanka in 2014.

Hardik Pandya conceded just four in the 49th over and Shardul Thakur trapped Michael leg before off the second ball of the last over with the visitors needing 13 for victory.

Earlier, it was 23-year-old Gill who stole the limelight from his more illustrious teammates like Rohit and Virat Kohli. Riding on Gill’s 149-ball 208 (4x19, 6x9), India coasted to a huge 349 for eight. In the process, Gill not only cemented his position at the top of the order but also assured himself of a place in the World Cup squad later in the year. Gill took his time to settle down even as Rohit did the scoring in their 60-run first wicket partnership but as the sun set, Gill exploded. He struck six sixes in the 48th and 49th overs to take India to an impregnable position. Incidentally, Gill got his half-century with a six, reached 99 with his second six and moved from 147 to 153 with the third one. Then he moved from 182 to 200 with sixes off three consecutive balls.

Rohit (34; 38b, 4x,4, 6x2) didn’t last long as his attempt to hit a Blair Tickner delivery over his head, resulted in a mishit that was gobbled up by Daryl Mitchell at mid-on. Santner, who was brought on in the ninth over, sent back Kohli (8) in the 16th over to leave India at 88 for two. Ishan Kishan (5) too fell cheaply but Gill and Suryakumar Yadav steadied the innings. Gill made the most of the reprieve he got from Tom Latham off Bracewell when he was on 45. He moved from 46 to 52 with his first six and there was no turning back thereafter. Gill kept pace with SKY as the duo added 65 for the fourth wicket before the latter fell for 31. Gill then struck his second six and stole a single to reach the coveted three-figure mark.