3rd ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill centuries give India 3-0 series win vs New Zealand
India, on Tuesday, January 24, defeated New Zealand by 90 runs in the third and final ODI of the series at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
With the victory, India also won the series 3-0. Most importantly, they remained unbeaten in ODIs in 2023. But the most crucial part was that India displaced the Black Caps as the new No.1 team in the 50-overs format.
After being put in to bat first, India got off to a flying start courtesy of a 212-run stand for the opening wicket off 26.1 overs between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The duo also broke Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir’s record of the highest opening stand by an Indian pair in ODIs against the Black Caps.
Gill was the more aggressive of the two as he scored 112 runs off 78 balls with 13 fours and five sixes. Rohit also chipped in with a 101-run knock. However, the Kiwis made a mini-comeback after Michael Bracewell and Blair Ticker got the wickets of Rohit and Gill respectively.
After India lost two quick wickets, Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli put on 38 runs for the third wicket before the latter was run out. Kohli looked good during his stay in the middle as he scored 36 off 27 with three fours and one six before Jacob Duffy removed him.
Hardik Pandya injected momentum into the Indian innings with a 38-ball 54, laced with three fours and as many sixes. Shardul Thakur was also effective after he scored 25 off 17. Duffy and Tickner picked up three wickets apiece for the Indian team.
Shardul, Kuldeep shine for India
The visitors didn’t make the best of starts to their run-chase after Hardik Pandya sent back Finn Allen for a golden duck. Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls put on 106 for the second wicket to lay the platform for New Zealand. Kuldeep Yadav trapped the left-handed Nicholls, who scored 42, in front to give India a crucial breakthrough.
The 26th over was crucial in the context of the game after Shardul got rid of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham in succession. Thereafter, Shardul removed Glenn Phillips to put more pressure on the Black Caps.
Conway, in the meantime, got to his third ODI hundred off 71 balls. But India delivered the body blow after Conway perished in the 32nd over while trying to take on Umran Malik. Conway got out after scoring 138 runs off 100 balls with 12 fours and eight sixes.
Then came the duo of Bracewell and Mitchell Santner that give India plenty of headaches in the first ODI. Bracewell scored 26 off 22 and threatened, but Kuldeep got rid of him to cut short his stay in the middle.
Mitchell Santner pulled out the long handle and scored 34 runs off 29 balls with three fours and two sixes, but Chahal dismissed him to bruing the curtains down on the match.