In a bid to continue with their winning streak in ODIs this year, team India will take on New Zealand in the second of the three match ODI series at the Sheheed Veer Narayan Singh stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
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Opening batter Shubman Gill has been the talking point in the cricketing fraternity ever since he became only the eighth cricketer in ODI Cricket history to smash a double ton a couple of days ago in Hyderabad, during the first ODI.
The Indian team did celebrate the fact that Gill became the youngest men’s batter to have achieved the landmark, but they are surely also aware of the overall lackluster performance that was on display in both the batting and bowling departments on Wednesday.
A 12-run victory for sure, but leaving aside Gill’s knock (of 208 off 149 deliveries), the next highest scorer for the team was skipper Rohit Sharma (34). Also, the bowlers were left scrambling for answers the moment Mitchell Santner (57), and especially Michael Bracewell (140) decided to go berserk with their onslaught of the highest order.
It will be interesting to see whether or not the management do opt for the inclusion of pacer Umran Malik in the playing XI tomorrow, to address their bowling woes especially during the middle and the death Overs.
IND vs NZ 2nd ODI pitch report
The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur will host its first-ever international match tomorrow. However, the venue has hosted quite a few Road Safety World Series (RSWS) matches in the past couple of seasons, including the grand finale in October last year.
The pitch at this venue has not been the easiest to bat on especially as the match progresses, as it has the tendency to slow down. However, batters will definitely have a say once they get their eye in and get used to the pace of the surface.
As for the fast bowlers, the pitch is expected to provide them some assistance with the new ball. During the match eve, Kiwi allrounder Mitchell Santner also predicted more bounce off the surface tomorrow than the one in Hyderabad last Wednesday.
All in all, one should expect for a much even contest tomorrow with bat and ball, than the Hyderabad ODI.
