New Zealand skipper Tom Latham admitted they didn’t capitalize in the last 10 overs of their batting innings after their four-wicket loss against India at the Himachal Pradesh Association Stadium, Dharamshala on Sunday. New Zealand posted 273 runs on the board after Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first.
But, the Kiwis lost two early wickets of Will Young and Devon Conway and found themselves at 19-2. However, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell continued to impress, adding 159 runs for the second wicket. Ravindra scored a fine knock of 75 runs whereas Mitchell scored a brilliant knock of 130 runs, his fifth ODI century.
With these two going strong, it looked like the Kiwis would easily post more than 300 runs on the board. But India was able to turn the tables as they conceded only 55 runs and took four wickets in the last 11 overs. In fact, in the final 13 overs, India conceded 68 runs and bagged six wickets.
Tom Latham said in the post-match presentation, “We played reasonably well. We didn’t quite capitalize in the last 10. We left a little out there. But credit to India. We weren’t able to get the double breakthrough with the ball. Rachin and Mitchell had a fantastic partnership to set us up for the last 10. We have a perfect group. We want to be in those positions. Rachin with the bat, Daryl with the 100. The bowlers did well.”
On the other hand, Virat Kohli once again proved his mettle in the run-chase. In fact, all the Indian batters, barring Suryakumar Yadav, got off to starts but could not convert them into substantial scores however Kohli was able to play a match-winning knock of 95 runs. India found themselves in a spot of bother 191-5 but Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja added 78 runs for the sixth wicket.
Latham showered praise on Virat Kohli for another match-winning knock in the run-chase. He further added, “He played a fantastic innings. He controlled the tempo for them for others to bat around him. Just try to be proactive and focus on the matchups a little. Another good innings from him. We have a few days off. We have a day game here. We want to do good stuff.”
New Zealand will next take on Australia at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala on Saturday.
