Henry Nicholls Discusses New Zealand's Strategy Ahead of ODI Series Against India

New Zealand's Preparation for the ODI Series

Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 13: As New Zealand gears up for the second ODI against India on Wednesday, batter Henry Nicholls has shared insights into his team's preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027.

In a pre-match press conference, Nicholls emphasized the significance of this ODI series, noting that opportunities for one-day matches are scarce between major tournaments. He stated, “There’s not a lot of one-day cricket between significant events, which makes these series even more crucial. For us as a team, it’s an exciting format.”

He added, “Some of us have been participating in List A cricket back home, so we have some experience with the 50-over format. It’s a format we enjoy, and with fewer series available, we’re eager to capitalize on these chances as a team.”

When discussing the challenge posed by Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the 34-year-old remarked, “Playing against such players is always a learning experience, and we anticipated this challenge coming into the series.”

Nicholls commended his bowling unit for their efforts to apply pressure on both Indian batsmen. He noted, “In the first game, I was impressed by how the bowlers adapted to the situation, especially when bowling to those top players. Towards the end of the match, we saw some effective strategies that gave us a chance to get back into the game. Moving forward, the challenge will be to maintain pressure on these surfaces against such skilled players.”

In the first ODI, India triumphed over New Zealand by four wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Key contributions came from captain Shubman Gill (56), Virat Kohli (93), Shreyas Iyer (49), and lower-order support from KL Rahul (29) and all-rounder Harshit Rana (29), enabling India to chase down a challenging target of 301 runs.

On the bowling front, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, and Mohammed Siraj each took two wickets, limiting New Zealand to 300/8, despite a solid 117-run partnership between Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway.

Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Ayush Badoni, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel.

New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay(w), Michael Bracewell(c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Adithya Ashok, Jayden Lennox, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae.