Skipper Rohit Sharma ‘unimpressed’ as India nearly slip up in the first ODI against New Zealand

India won the opening match of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand but captain Rohit Sharma was not an impressed man with the performance of his bowlers.  

After Michael Bracewell’s heroic knock infused energy into what was an otherwise dead contest and took the visitors nearly over the line, India’s death-blowing was once again put under the microscope. 

Sharma reflected on the same and said his team slipped up on the particular front. 

“To be honest, the way he (Bracewell) was batting and the way it came on to the bat nicely, it was clean ball-striking.”

“We knew that if we bowl well, we would be okay unless we really slipped up with the ball. Unfortunately, that’s what happened. I did say at the toss that I would like to see us challenge ourselves, not quite the situation I expected but that’s how it is.”

After posting a mammoth 349/8 in the first innings, courtesy of a stunning double hundred from Shubman Gill, India were the firm favourites to wrap up the game. 

The bowling in the initial part of the chase was clinical with the Kiwis requiring 216 runs off the last 20 overs. With Bracewell and Mitchell Santner at the crease, India would have ideally liked to put the game to bed early. 

However, the defiant southpaws had other plans. Both the batters got stuck in and took the attack to the Indian bowlers. Bracewell was especially severe with his audacious strokeplay as Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur bore the brunt of it. 

The visitors managed to gather 113 runs between the 31 and 40 overs to set the stage for a grandstand finish. The NZ batters had the momentum but a target as big as 350 was always going to come with its set of challenges. 

In the end, the NZ side fell short by an agonising 12 runs margin. Bracewell was the last man to depart as India managed to cling on and register a win. 

“We were just trying to give ourselves a chance there. We managed to put a big partnership on but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. We fell 12 runs short, which is a bit of a bummer, really,” said Bracewell after the match. 

The two sides will square up once again on Saturday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, Chattisgarh. 

(With inputs from agencies)