NEW DELHI: India captain Shubman Gill admitted that his team failed to seize control in the crucial middle overs during their seven-wicket loss to New Zealand in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. Gill felt that the inability to pick up wickets during that phase made defending the total extremely difficult, even though India posted a competitive score.
“We couldn’t pick up any wickets in the middle overs. With five fielders in, if you don’t keep taking wickets in the middle overs, it becomes very difficult, even if we had added 15-20 more runs. And if you don’t pick up wickets in the middle overs, it’s very difficult to stop a target,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. India finished on 284 for seven on a two-paced surface, with KL Rahul anchoring the innings with a composed 112 not out off 92 balls, his eighth ODI century. However, New Zealand chased the target comfortably, riding on Daryl Mitchell’s superb unbeaten 131. Mitchell also stitched together a decisive 162-run partnership off 152 balls for the third wicket with Will Young, who scored 87. Reflecting on the conditions and the importance of partnerships, Gill said, “On these kinds of wickets, as soon as you have a partnership, the set batsman has to make it big because it’s not easy for the batsman coming in to score freely.” Gill acknowledged that India had made a strong start with the ball but failed to maintain pressure later in the innings. “In the end, we did get a decent target on the board, and we bowled exceptionally well in the first 10 overs. And the kind of start that we got in the bowling, we were trying to squeeze them down, put them under pressure, but I think they batted really well in the middle overs,” he added. The Indian captain also pointed out that the pitch became easier to bat on as the match progressed and felt his bowlers could have been braver. “In the first 10-15 overs that we bowled, the ball was doing a little bit. But I think after the 20-25 overs, the wicket may be settled in a little bit, but I think we could have been a little bit more brave while bowling in the middle overs. We could have taken a little bit more chances.” Gill did not shy away from highlighting fielding lapses as another factor behind the defeat. “Even in the last match, we let down a couple of chances. It’s one thing that we are always, especially with this team, we are always trying to get better at fielding. It’s one aspect that we’re always trying to get better at. And yes, if you don’t take your chances, in this format, it always makes you lose,” he concluded. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell praised his side’s all-round effort in levelling the series. “It is a complete performance from us, and I am proud of the team. We were very happy at the halfway point. We bowled very well. It was a typical Kiwi performance with the ball,” he said. Bracewell also lauded his team’s composure during the chase. “We were ready to chase anything, really. They bowled really well, and the way the guys adapted and soaked up the pressure was great. Daryl and Young then took the game away from India.” On Mitchell’s approach against Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Jayden Lennox’s role, Bracewell added, “The batters read the conditions really well. We pride ourselves on being adaptable and taking the game head-on. He (Jayden Lennox) bowled really well. It’s never easy to make your debut in India. He bowled the tough overs.”
