Kiwis make opening statement

Mumbai : New Zealand, the evergreen underdogs of cricket, landed in India last week having not played a match since the Champions Trophy. In the current era of cricket, that’s an eternity. Time away from sport can be a blessing at times, and so it seemed tonight as the Kiwis stunned India by six wickets in the first ODI.
Under coach Mike Hesson, New Zealand might have always trailed other teams in terms of talent and depth, but they are never short on planning. Once again the Kiwis pulled off a masterstroke by demoting regular opener Tom Latham to the middle order and the wicket-keeper batsman orchestrated a perfect chase of India’s 280 with his fourth ODI century.
Stunning 103
Latham’s stunning unbeaten 103 from 102 balls and Ross Taylor’s 95 from 100 deliveries powered New Zealand to a comfortable six-wicket win for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. On the eve of the match, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson had said that this was an opportunity for the likes of Latham to prosper in his new role and the left-hander didn’t disappoint his captain. Only a couple of days ago, Latham had stated after his century in the second warm-up match that the key was to adapt mentally, rather than technically. Latham’s ability to sweep spinners off their length and his ability to rotate the strike through the middle overs was a feature of his classy innings. Latham deserves credit for the way he adjusted his game, given that the last time he did not open in an ODI match was way back in December 2015, 25 innings ago. Credit must also go to Taylor, for the Kiwi No. 4 dropped anchor to share a partnership of 200 off 187 balls with Latham.
New Zealand’s win proved that time away from the game was the best way to refresh and implement new strategies. Virat Kohli had mentioned on the eve of the match how such a break could make New Zealand dangerous during the series: “This is New Zealand’s first ODI assignment after the Champions Trophy… Our schedule has become quite hectic and it is something that needs to be looked at.”
Non-stop cricket
India seemed exhausted from the non-stop cricket over the past few months. The aggression that was evident during the Australia series was missing. There were soft dismissals and some reckless shots. Apart from Kohli, all the batsmen struggled to adjust to the pace of the pitch. The Indian skipper, however, showed how centuries should be constructed against a quality attack that had meticulous plans against him. Kohli’s 31st century was the prime reason India were able to post a competitive total of 280/8. But at the end of the day, the captain’s 200th ODI appearance turned out to be in a losing cause, one that will leave him fuming, given his demand for perfection from his team. While Kohli, Latham and Taylor were the heroes with the bat on the day, Trent Boult was arguably the star performer with the ball from both teams. The left-arm pacer bowled a fuller length compared to the Australian bowlers and was rewarded with figures of 4/35 from 10 overs. Boult’s ability to bring the Indian batsmen forward was the secret to his success.
Overall, India seemed like a jaded team that needs a break from the game. The Kiwis, on the other hand, proved how time away from the game can bring you success.