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After losing the three-match ODI series against New Zealand 2-1 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Team India captain Shubman Gill accepted that a lot of areas need to be improved in the team.
During the post-match presentation, Shubman Gill admitted that with the series 1-1, the way the Indian side played in the do-or-die was "disappointing." However, Gill hailed Virat Kohli's and Harshit Rana's batting, which gave India hope to chase down the 338-run target. This is New Zealand's first ODI bilateral series win in India in eight attempts since 1988. They scripted history after defeating Men in Blue by 41 runs in the third ODI. "After the first game, coming here 1-1, the way we played was disappointing. A lot of areas need improvement. Virat bhai's batting and Harshit's batting have been pluses. Fast bowlers have done well. Keeping World Cup 2027 in mind and where it will be, we want to give Nitish Kumar opportunities," Gill said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. Coming to the match, New Zealand posted a challenging score of 337/8 in 50 overs in the do-or-die contest against India in the Indoor after being asked to bat first. Daryl Mitchell smashed his consecutive century in the series. The right-handed batter hammered 137 runs off 131 deliveries, including 15 fours and one six. Glenn Phillips played a superb knock of 106 runs off 88 deliveries, with nine fours and three sixes. Towards the end, captain Michael Bracewell's unbeaten 28 off 18 deliveries, including four boundaries, guided New Zealand to 337/8 in 50 overs. With the ball, Arshdeep Singh (3/63) and Harshit Rana (3/84) scalped three wickets each for India. The three-match ODI series is levelled 1-1, with India winning the first and New Zealand clinching the second. While chasing, an incredible lone warrior century from Virat Kohli and his 99-run stand with lower-order batter Harshit Rana, who scored his maiden ODI fifty, went in vain as New Zealand downed the Men in Blue in the third and final ODI at Indore to secure their first-ever ODI series win in India. Kohli played a fighting knock of 124 runs off 108 deliveries, including 10 fours and three sixes. Harshit Rana scored 52 runs off 43 balls, with eight boundaries. Nitish Kumar Reddy made 53 off 57 deliveries, along with two fours and as many sixes as India were bundled out for 296 in 46 overs, and lost the contest by 41 runs. Kristian Clarke (3/54) and Zakary Foulkes (3/77) were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, while Jayden Lennox bowled an impressive spell of 2/42. (ANI)
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