India Aims for Series Victory Against New Zealand in 2nd ODI

India vs New Zealand: 2nd ODI Match Overview

In the second match of the three-match ODI series at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Khandheri, Rajkot, New Zealand's captain Michael Bracewell won the toss and chose to bowl first against Team India, led by Shubman Gill.

India enters this match with momentum from a recent four-wicket victory over New Zealand and is eager to secure the series with another win. Conversely, New Zealand is determined to fight back and keep their hopes alive.

Unfortunately for India, all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the series due to an injury sustained in the opening match, adding to the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is also sidelined with an injury.

The playing elevens for the second ODI are as follows:

India: Shubman Gill (capt.), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (capt.), Zak Foulks, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox.

In the first ODI, Virat Kohli's exceptional performance, along with significant contributions from Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Harshit Rana, led India to victory.

India successfully chased down a target of 301, finishing the innings in the penultimate over, with KL Rahul and Washington Sundar forming a crucial partnership to secure the win by four wickets.

During the chase, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened for India. After a cautious start, Sharma found his rhythm, hitting a six off Zakary Foulkes in the sixth over. He followed up with another six and a four off Kyle Jamieson, marking his 650th six in international cricket.

However, Jamieson dismissed Sharma in the ninth over for 26 runs off 29 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.

At the end of the power-play, India was at 48/1, with Gill and Kohli still at the crease. Kohli reached a milestone in the 13th over, hitting a four off Adithya Ashok to surpass 28,000 runs in international cricket, achieving this in just 624 innings, a record faster than Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.

After a slow start, India accelerated against the New Zealand bowlers, surpassing the 100-run mark in the 17th over. Kohli also surpassed Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket, trailing only Tendulkar.

Both Kohli and Gill reached their fifties, putting India in a strong position for the chase.

Gill achieved his fifth score of over 50 in just 13 ODI innings against New Zealand. However, Ashok provided New Zealand with a crucial breakthrough in the 27th over, dismissing Gill for 56 runs. Shreyas Iyer then joined Kohli at the crease.

In the 31st over, Iyer attacked Ashok, scoring 15 runs in that over. Kohli fell short of a century, getting out for 93 runs, with Jamieson taking his second wicket. Ravindra Jadeja then came in but was dismissed for four runs, followed by Iyer, who was out for 49 in the 42nd over.

Harshit Rana was promoted in the batting order and made a significant impact, scoring 29 runs off 23 balls before Sundar came in to support Rahul.

Earlier, New Zealand's innings was anchored by Daryl Mitchell, who scored 84 runs, supported by half-centuries from Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls, leading the team to a total of 300/8 in their 50 overs. After winning the toss, India opted to bowl first, but the Kiwi openers set a solid foundation.

Conway and Nicholls built a strong opening partnership of 117 runs, reaching 50 runs in just over 10 overs and 100 runs in under 20 overs, putting pressure on the Indian bowlers.

Nicholls was the first New Zealand player to be dismissed, scoring 62 runs off 69 balls, including eight fours, before being dismissed by Harshit Rana. Rana struck again shortly after, sending Conway back for 56 runs off 67 balls.

Will Young followed soon after, dismissed for 12 runs by Mohammed Siraj.

The middle order struggled to capitalize on the strong start, with Glenn Phillips scoring 12 runs before falling to Kuldeep Yadav, while Mitchell Hay managed 18 runs before being bowled by Prasidh Krishna.

New Zealand's captain Michael Bracewell was run out by Shreyas Iyer after scoring 16 runs, and Zak Foulkes was dismissed for just one run, becoming Siraj's second wicket.

Daryl Mitchell's innings of 84 runs off 71 balls, which included five fours and three sixes, was crucial, but he was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna late in the innings. Kristian Clarke added valuable runs at the end, remaining not out on 24 runs off 17 balls, helping New Zealand reach the 300-run mark.

For India, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna each took two wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed one wicket. India now faces a target of 301, a challenging psychological barrier in a one-day match.