Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 18 : Following his side's historic maiden ODI series win in India, New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell spoke on the importance of teamwork and also hailed the debutants Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, and Jayden Lennox for their performances.
Virat's incredible 124 in 108 balls and his counter-attacking 99-run stand with half-centurion Harshit Rana dazzled the crowd, but in chase of 338 runs, India was left 41 runs short of a win at Indore and an ODI series win as well, handing the visitors their first ODI series win in India, after they had sealed a Test series in 2024 by 0-3. While Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips posted tons, it was spinner Jayden Lennox and Kristian Clarke who kept things tidy for the Kiwis with the ball.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Bracewell said, "It is always a pleasure to come over here and play in India in front of these amazing fans and play such a great team. So to be able to come over here and win a series the first time a New Zealand team's done it was pretty special. You are always hopeful when you're going to come over here and play some good cricket. I think we really stuck to what we know works as a team, and we were able to come here and play some really good cricket in these conditions. (On New Zealand cricket) We are the sum of all the parts, and we really try to work together as a group. That is part of the Kiwi way; we are just a small country from the bottom of the world,, and we try to work together to take on some of the bigger countries in the world. We really rally around there as a group, and when things come like that, it is pretty special."
"(On Mitchell) He's been amazing in the one-day format for a few years now. He has done beautifully and led the batting attack. He is a pretty humble guy, so to see him go through his thing and get the reward he deserves is pretty special. Whenever you expose young people to international cricket and get three debutants on this tour, that is very cool. Getting to experience the crowds and see the way we are here is a wonderful thing. I think particularly those two debutants have stuck out in there and done a great job for us, all three of them. So, that has been particularly pleasing on this tour. Growing the depth of cricket in New Zealand is awesome."
Clarke finished as the leading wicket-taker with seven scalps in three matches at an average of 26.14, while Lennox took three in two matches at an average of 28.00 and a miserly economy rate of 4.20. Adi Ashok also got a wicket in the solitary ODI he played.
Centuries from Daryl Mitchell (137*) and Glenn Phillips (106) took NZ to 337/8, despite three wickets from Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. After being reduced to 5/2 and later 58/3, the duo put on a 219-run stand that put the Kiwis in a commanding position.
In the chase, India was down at 71/4, but an entertaining 88-run stand between Virat and Nitish Kumar Reddy (53 in 57 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and a 99-run stand between Virat and Harshit Rana (52 in 43 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) gave India hope, with Virat producing a masterclass 108-ball 124 to the delight of Indore crowd. However, once he was gone, it was curtains for India, who were all out for 296 in 46 overs, handing NZ the series 1-2.