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Following New Zealand's loss to India in the second T20I at Raipur, former Kiwi cricketer Simon Doull said that skipper Mitchell Santner did not have a great time on the field as a captain, and even 280 runs would not have been enough against such a brutal Team India line-up.
Kiwis did set up a daunting 208 runs to chase; at least that is what it looked like when Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were sent packing within the first two overs. But the fireworks from Ishan Kishan and skipper Suryakumar Yadav left the Kiwis searching for the ball, for answers, as they went 2-0 down in the series with another dominant show by Team India. In the first match as well, NZ had conceded 238 runs but were restricted to 190/7, with Team India getting regular wickets. Speaking on 'Cricket Live', JioStar expert Doull pointed out that despite Abhishek's early dismissal, the Men in Blue did not even need two of their finest six-hitters, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh, and managed to "outsix" the Kiwis despite the fact they looked down and out at 6/2. "If you take Abhishek away, who failed in the game, Rinku and Hardik, two of the most prolific six-hitters, didn't even get a go. So India are out-sixing with guys who do not usually; I mean, they do hit sixes, but your two real powerhouses didn't even get a bat. I thought India was simply brilliant. New Zealand had an opportunity early on, two for six, with both the openers gone, and they should have been better. I don't think Mitchell Santner had a great night from a captaincy point of view. New Zealand just did not put enough on the board, and I'm not even sure 280 would have been enough," said Doull. Doull also hailed Ishan's "beautiful knock" and felt he could have gone for a big hundred because of his power and prowess in white-ball cricket, as evident by the record of the fastest double tonne in ODI history. He also pointed out how he let Surya, the skipper searching for a big knock after a disastrous run of form last year, settle and go for big hits later. "He (Ishan) got such power, and he does it so quickly. There were a couple of shots that stood out. The one-off from Ish Sodhi, when he went down the wicket and then pulled the ball over mid-wicket, was a phenomenal shot. When Abhishek obviously did not get them off to a good start, what Ishan did from two for six was to put New Zealand under pressure. He took the game away and allowed Surya to settle in. At one stage, Suryakumar Yadav was 11 off 11 balls. The way Ishan played allowed him to settle. So I thought he was simply superb. He's got shots all around the ground," he added. On how Team India looks heading into the T20 World Cup, Doull noted how the side looks really clear about how to play this particular format with "all-out aggression", has a good mix of experience and youth and has a good dressing room environment. "It is a different-looking side to what we saw in the ODIs, to me. It is a side that just looks like they really know how to play this format of the game. They're enjoying it. There is a mix of experience and youth. There's all-out aggression. I think throughout the batting order it is just about, 'We are going to keep coming at you. I do not care if we're two for six; we are going to keep coming at you, and we are going to come harder," he said. "We saw that in the first game as well, where they continued to go even though they lost wickets at relatively regular intervals. I thought the fightback with the ball was really good. They just look like a team that Surya has got in a great headspace at the moment. They're playing with confidence. They were laughing and joking as they came off the field; the pats on the back, the rubs on the head, those little things that come with a team in a very good frame of mind and knowing exactly what they have up their sleeves," he concluded. Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Knocks from skipper Mitchell Santner (47* in 27 balls, with six fours and a six) and Rachin Ravindra (44 in 26 balls, with two fours and four sixes) were the highlights as the Kiwis posted 208/6 in their 20 overs. Kuldeep was the pick of the bowlers for India with 2/35 in four overs, with Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube getting a wicket each. In the run chase, India lost Sanju Samson (6) and Abhishek Sharma (0) early, but Ishan (76 in 32 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes) and skipper Surya (82* in 37 balls, with nine fours and four sixes) turned the tide with an unbelievable 122-run stand in eight overs. Shivam (36* in 18 balls, with four and three sixes) also played a quick cameo, taking India to the target in 15.2 overs. (ANI)
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