India win final ODI against Kiwis and seal the series 4-1!

India win final ODI against Kiwis and seal the series 4-1!

And with that, the men in blue have come back strongly after their debacle in Hamilton to win the final ODI, while the sealing the series handsomely in their favor by 4-1. It all started with Rohit Sharma electing to have a bat first.

It almost seemed like Déjà vu for the Indians as they lost 4 wickets for just the 18 runs in 10 overs of play. But that’s when the middle order stepped in, with Ambati Rayudu taking the lead from the front, and was given valuable support by Vijay Shankar who scored a pivotal 45 (64).

Shankar was involved in a mix up which lead to his run out, as the Kiwis look to get back in the game with India’s score on 118 for the loss of 5 wickets. But India were not willing to go down without a fight, as a cameo of 34 (45) from Kedar Jhadav, along with a blazy knock of 45 from 22 deliveries by Hardik Pandya with 5 huge sixes under his belt propelled India’s score past 250.

Ambati Rayudu was the star man for India in the first innings, as he fell just 10 runs short of century of 113 deliveries.

New Zealand openers comprising of Colin Munro 24 (19) and Henry Nicholls 8 (15) trembled once again, due to Shami’s brilliance with the ball, while New Zealand’s top run getter in the fifty over format – Ross Taylor lost his wicket through an LBW by Hardik Pandya with him scoring just a run. Kane Williamson and Tom Latham did try to show some resistance with the bat with a 67 run stand, but the man with the golden arm – Kedar Jhadav picked yet another big fish in the sense of Kane Williamson 39 (73).

Tom Latham was soon to follow his skipper back to the hut after failing to convert his 37 (49) into a big score, with the wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal getting the better of him through a leg before.

James Neesham 44 (32) did give in a scare for the visitors after a flurry of boundaries and sixes, but MS Dhoni’s presence of mind from behind the stumps rewarded Team India with that crucial wicket at an important interval through a cheeky run out.

The final three New Zealand  batsmen couldn’t offer much towards the end as India bundled the hosts out for 217, with them falling 35 runs short of the target.

Hardik Pandya and Mohammad Shami picked 2 wickets a piece for India, with Bhuvi claiming the final one. But it was Yuzvendra Chahal who came out to lead the pack with 3 wickets registered to his name, while conceding 41 runs in his 10 over spell.

Ambati Rayudu’s much needed knock of 90 rightfully awarded him the ‘Player of the Match’ award, while Mohammad Shami was adjourned as the ‘Player of the Series’ for his 9 wickets in the 4 matches that he was a part of.

So with the ODIs now done and dusted, the two cricketing nations will next be seen contesting in the T20Is starting February 6. Will it be India yet again to get the upper hand, or will the Black Caps redeem themselves with the formidable line-up that they have, only time will tell.

from SportsFlashes.com http://bit.ly/2WDM2GH