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Following the series defeat against New Zealand in the Tests, India skipper Rohit Sharma heaped praise on the Kiwis and said that they have played better cricket than them.
New Zealand's Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips unleashed a spin web on the Indian batter, spinning them towards history as NZ beat India by 25 runs and become the first visiting side to whitewash India in India in a series of three or more matches. Rohit had a disappointing series against New Zealand in the Tests. He scored 91 runs at a strike rate of 68.42 after playing all three matches of the Test series against the Kiwis. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rohit said that New Zealand played really good cricket than Team India. The India skipper showered praise on the Kiwis and said that they were clinical and didn't complicate things. "They won the series. They have played some really good cricket. They have played better cricket than us. I have praised them everywhere. They are clinical. They understand what needs to be done. They don't complicate things. They batted and bowled better than us. We always knew it's going to be a challenging one," Rohit said. Chasing a target of 147 runs, India was five down at 29 runs. However, a fighting half-century by Rishabh Pant (64 in 57 balls, with nine fours and a six) kept India in the game. After his dismissal, India once again lost their footing in the game and was bundled out for 121 runs. Ajaz (6/57) took a memorable six-wicket haul. Also, Phillips (3/42) was fine with the ball, taking timely and crucial wickets. Earlier, Kiwis were bundled out for 174, thanks to a five-wicket haul from Jadeja (5/55) and some fine bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin (3/62). A fighting half-century from Will Young (51 in 100 balls, with two fours and a six) was the NZ innings highlight. Kiwis took a 146-run lead over India, who made 263 in their first innings while replying to NZ's first innings total of 235 runs. In their first innings, India had taken a 28-run lead over New Zealand. India was 84/4 at one point, but a 96-run stand between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant (60 in 59 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) helped India recover. Gill played a memorable knock of 90 in 146 balls, with seven fours and a six. A fine knock of Washington Sundar (38* in 36 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) pushed India towards a lead, taking them to 263. Ajaz Patel (5/103) was the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwis. Phillips, Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry took a wicket each. Coming to the NZ first innings, Kiwis had won the toss and opted to bat first. Though spinners Jadeja (5/65) and Sundar (4/81) dominated the proceedings, half-centuries from Will Young (71 in 138 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Daryl Mitchell (82 in 129 balls, with three fours and three sixes) pushed NZ to 235. An 87-run stand between Young and Mitchell was what helped the Kiwis get to a respectable score. (ANI)
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