After dominating in the first 2 ODIs, the scenario didn’t change much in the 3rd as India defeated New Zealand to make it 3-0. With 2 more games to go, Virat Kohli and his men now have an unassailable lead. First, the bowlers and then, the batsmen delivered and the Men in Blue didn’t offer even a sniff to the opposition.
This time, it was the Kiwi captain Kane Williamson who won the toss. The hosts batted first and once again, the Indian pacers troubled the top-order. Mohammed Shami removed Colin Munro while Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent back Martin Guptill. Yuzvendra Chahal bagged the important wicket of Williamson to make it 59/3 in the 17th over.
Ross Taylor and Tom Latham came together and rebuilt the innings. A partnership of 119 runs brought the Kiwis back on track. But when Chahal dismissed Munro, it began a collapse. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the hosts fell short of a big score. Taylor missed out on a century as Shami removed him for 93. New Zealand was bowled out for 243 in 49 overs.
The Indian openers were at it again. Shikhar Dhawan came out with an aggressive mindset and struck some attractive strokes. But Trent Boult ended his stay for 28. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli then ensured that the opposition didn’t get any more chances. They shared a stand of 113 runs and blew New Zealand out of the game.
Rohit scored 62 while Kohli made 60. With 76 runs required to win, Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik came together and got the much-needed game time. They took India past the line comfortably. With 7 overs to spare and 7 wickets in hand, India cruised to victory.
Match Summary
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first
New Zealand:Â 243/10 in 49 overs
Ross Taylor 93 (106), Tom Latham 51 (64)
Mohammed Shami 41/3 (9), Hardik Pandya 45/2 (10)
India:Â 245/3 in 43 overs
Rohit Sharma 62 (77), Virat Kohli 60 (74)
Trent Boult 40/2 (10), Mitchell Santner 45/1 (10)
India won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match:Â Mohammed Shami
Here’s how Twitter reacted to India’s victory
I must confess I thought this would be a good, close series. But India is playing at another level. The bowling, in particular, has been exemplary.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 28, 2019
https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1089818346852360197
https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1089814657211215872
https://twitter.com/mipaltan/status/1089822883973615617
2012 was the last time before today when New Zealand lost each of their first three matches of a home ODI series. It happened against South Africa.#NZvIND
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) January 28, 2019
India is the best ODI team on the road….just going from strength to strength. One more dominating performance. #NZvInd @StarSportsIndia
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 28, 2019
That's 100 wickets between our very own #KulCha in ODIs#NZvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/MaYyNFtgn2
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 28, 2019
So, thrice in three innings NZ haven’t lasted 50 overs. In good batting conditions. Indian bowlers writing wonderful scripts…as usual. #NzvInd @StarSportsIndia
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 28, 2019
Rohit Sharma becomes the 10th Indian to complete 10000 runs in List A cricket.
Fastest to 10000 List A runs among Indians:
219 inns – Virat Kohli
252 inns – Sourav Ganguly
257 inns – Sachin Tendulkar
260 inns – Rohit Sharma#NZvIND— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) January 28, 2019
Rohit Sharma got out stumped only twice since the start of 2012 in International cricket. Mitchell Santner was the bowler on both instances. (2016 WT20 game in Nagpur is the other) #NZvIND
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) January 28, 2019
Highest winning percentage as a captain in ODIs (Min.25 matches):
76.19 Clive Lloyd (64/84)
74.60 VIRAT KOHLI (47/63)
71.74 Hansie Cronje (99/138)
71.74 Ricky Ponting (165/230)#NZvIND #INDvsNZ— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) January 28, 2019
2-45 from his full quota of 10 overs for Hardik Pandya. And an excellent catch. On the field, he has been sharp.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 28, 2019
This is Virat Kohli's 100th fifty-plus score in List-A cricket. #INDvsNZ
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) January 28, 2019
Also Read:Â Who will win the ODI World Cup 2019? Here are the top 5 contenders
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