Wellington [New Zealand], November 7 (ANI): Following a loss to India in the second ODI, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner hailed the performances of bowling unit of both the sides on what was a bowling-friendly surface.
Following an easy 143 run chase by India in the second ODI courtesy a masterful 74 by Virat Kohli in the first ODI, there were no batting fireworks across both the sides as rain had the final say in the second ODI, with India winning by four runs via DLS method. The Kiwis crumbled under the immense pressure put on by trio of Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj, while India also faced hiccups against Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson.
During the post-match presentation, Santner said, "It was one of those wickets where the seamers looked pretty challenging on. I know Axar bowled quite nicely, but the Indian quicks were in and around it as well, and they all bowled pretty well. [Lessons from the match] As a batting unit, we know it was going to be a tricky surface. But even if there was a potential way of scraping to 160 or 180, we could have gone from there. But yeah, I think they bowled well as well, and obviously, with the weather around, it is always going to be a bit tough to start, and they exploited it very well."
Speaking on pacer Blair Tickner, who was replaced by Matthew Fisher as a concussion substitute following a blow to his helmet while batting, Santner said, "He is back at the hotel, so hopefully he pulls up okay. But yeah, he has had a concussion recently, so it is one of those ones you want to give it some time."
Further speaking on the wicket and the bowling performances from both the teams, he said, "It was a tricky wicket. There is no hiding it. I think they (India) bowled really well, especially at the top, challenged us, and obviously, wickets at the start are never ideal. But I think we were still probably a little bit under at the halfway stage, knowing that there was still a little bit in it, which was nice. And the boys bowled really well. [On the bowling performance] Like we said at Eden Park, it would have been easy for us to just go out there and expect things to happen. But we bowled really well. We started well, and I guess the only way to get into that target was to take wickets at the top. We managed to do that, and then I think the guys coming back in, spell after spell, managed to get the breakthroughs throughout, which is key in ODI cricket."
Brar (4/30) was the leading act for India as they elected to bowl first, skittling out Kiwis for just 134 runs in 41 overs, despite a fighting 55 in 104 balls by Daryl Mitchell and his fighting half-century stand with skipper Santner (31 in 38 balls, with a four and two sixes).
In the chase of 135 runs, India was reduced to 47/4, with stalwarts Shubman Gill (0), Rohit Sharma (23) and Virat Kohli (7) failing to fire. Shreyas Iyer (30 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and KL Rahul (26* in 38 balls, with two fours and two sixes) steadied the innings, but Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson (3/35 each) reduced India to 113/7. Rain interrupted the action and India was four runs ahead of the DLS par score, scoring an important win to keep their bid for a series win alive. They are leading 2-0 in the five-match series. (ANI)
"It was a tricky wicket": NZ skipper Santner after loss to India in 2nd ODI
