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ICC World Cup 2019 warm-ups: IND vs NZ: India gets reality check, New Zealand earns confidence
High flying Kiwis on Saturday pipped India in the warm-up game to earn themselves the much-needed confidence, ahead of the World Cup.
High flying Kiwis on Saturday pipped India in the warm-up game to earn themselves the much-needed confidence, ahead of the World Cup. While India, on the other hand, also fetched quite a few lessons from this encounter. The match surprisingly ended being a one-sided affair with New Zealand finding upper hand in all the three departments. From ripping through the Indian batting line-up to dismantling their bowling attack, the Williamson's men not only bagged a win but sent a strong message to other teams as well.
The star-studded Indian batting line-up fell apart as openers departed within first four overs after Virat Kohli chose to bat first at the greenish track of Oval. For New Zealand, it was the bowling spearhead Trent Boult who made the most of the new ball. After sending back openers, he bowled a beauty to KL Rahul while de Grandhomme soon deceived Kohli with a cutter, reducing India to 39-4.
Hardik Pandya later struck some boundaries, however, couldn't resist for much. Wickets kept falling till Ravindra Jadeja arrived to the crease. The all-rounder played some beautiful strokes along the ground, helping India cross the 150-run mark. Lately, with Jadeja'a fifty, India managed to post a paltry 179 runs on board.
In reply, New Zealand did lose a couple of wickets, however, once the experienced duo of Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson joined each other at the crease, it was all about the Indian bowlers facing the toll. They played exceptionally well for their half-centuries and ended up taking Black Caps close to the win. Lastly, Henry Nicholas did the job, handing New Zealand a massive 6-wicket win in just 37.1 overs.
After this defeat, Virat Kohli and Co must have realised that there are a lot of things to work on before going into the main event. Fighting the new-ball, middle-order crisis and getting wickets in the middle overs will be the main areas of concerns. Pertinently, for New Zealand, Boult and Williamson's form is more than a good sign.
