Key learnings from India's win in first ODI against Kiwis
What's the story
Team India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, as they thrashed the Kiwis by eight wickets in Napier on Wednesday. Shikhar Dhawan (75*) played a crucial role in the chase for India. Earlier, Mohammed Shami (3/19) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/39) wreaked havoc on the hosts. Here are key learnings from the match as India showed their dominance.
Shami
Shami is cementing his place as the third pacer
Mohammed Shami ran in hard and bowled his heart out. He got the ball to swing both ways and dismissed Martin Guptill and Colin Munro. Shami, who made a return to ODIs against Australia recently, is cementing his place in the side as the third pacer. He is the biggest gainer and we could see him playing a role in India's World Cup campaign.
Rayudu
Rayudu is still in the scheme of things
There was a moment of uncertainty for Ambati Rayudu, when he was dropped for the third ODI against Australia after two dismal outings. However, Kohli has trust in his capabilities as he backed him today against Kiwis. Rayudu scored an unbeaten 13 and at the moment he is still in the scheme of things, as far as the World Cup squad is concerned.
Spinners
Will we see Kohli including Kuldeep and Chahal more often?
Virat Kohli is trying out different combinations with just nine ODI matches left before the World Cup. At the moment things are working well for the 30-year-old skipper. His decision-making is paying dividends. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are two premier spinners and they were top class against New Zealand. Kohli will could be tempted to use them together on a regular basis.
New Zealand
New Zealand's dependence on Taylor and Williamson
New Zealand have been dominating ODI cricket since quite sometime and the major reason for that is the form of key players Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. Both these players have been the architect of the resurgence of Kiwis. But the Black Caps are often too dependent on these two. And today this pattern was highlighted. Taylor's wicket changed the complexion of the match.