Rahul Guides India To Victory In Rain-Hit ODI
KL Rahul held his nerve as India secured a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-affected second ODI in Wellington on Saturday. The win gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, with the third match scheduled in Hamilton on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 135 in 47 overs, India were 113 for seven after 26 overs when rain stopped play. Rahul was unbeaten on 26, and India were four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109 when the match was called off.
Brar Leads India’s Pace Attack
India’s young fast-bowling trio delivered a superb performance to dismiss New Zealand for 134 in 41 overs. Gurnoor Brar returned career-best figures of 4/30, while Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj claimed two wickets each.
Nabi struck first, dismissing Tim Seifert for a duck with a delivery that held up in the surface. Kamboj took the catch at mid-wicket to give the pacer his first international wicket.
Will Young struggled for 17 deliveries before edging a delivery from Nabi, while Kamboj bowled Henry Nicholls in the ninth over to leave New Zealand at 29 for three.
Brar then dismantled the middle order with a series of well-directed short balls. He dismissed Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips in a double-wicket maiden, leaving the hosts reeling at 53 for five.
Daryl Mitchell offered some resistance with 55 off 104 balls, sharing a 59-run stand with captain Mitchell Santner, who scored 31 from 38 deliveries. However, the partnership could not take New Zealand to a competitive total.
Kamboj finished with 2/25 from eight overs, while Nabi took 2/31 in seven. Arshdeep Singh also kept things tight, conceding just 16 runs in his seven overs. India’s bowlers collectively delivered 176 dot balls.
Rahul Keeps His Composure In The Chase
India’s chase began poorly as captain Shubman Gill was caught in the slips off Jacob Duffy’s first delivery to him. Duffy then removed Virat Kohli for seven, with the batter caught at short cover.
Rohit Sharma made 23 off 28 balls but struggled against the movement on offer before falling in the slips. Axar Patel was dismissed for seven after attempting a ramp shot, while Shreyas Iyer’s 30 ended when he was caught off a short delivery.
With wickets falling at regular intervals, Rahul remained patient at the crease. He played 18 dot balls in his first 20 deliveries before finding his rhythm with two pull shots, one of which went for six.
Rahul later struck Duffy for another six to take India past the 100-run mark. Although Naman Dhir and Kamboj fell towards the end, Rahul’s composed innings ensured India stayed ahead of the DLS par score when rain brought the contest to a close.
India will now look to extend their lead when the teams meet in Hamilton on Tuesday.
