Following the game, captain Shubman Gill acknowledged that his team’s fielding performance has fallen short of expectations thus far in the series. He said that a team will undoubtedly lose the game if they don’t take any chances. Nonetheless, the hitter from Punjab claimed that the squad consistently strives to get better at fielding.
On Wednesday, January 14, India played New Zealand in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, and their fielding performance was subpar. They lost by seven wickets as a result of their blunders.
“We missed a few opportunities even in the most recent game. Especially with this crew, it’s something we constantly do. We’re constantly working to improve our fielding skills. We constantly strive to improve in this area. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Shubman Gill stated, “Yes, you always lose in this format if you don’t take your chances.”
In the first innings, India scored 284/7 thanks to outstanding blows from Shubman Gill (56) and KL Rahul (112*) on a difficult surface.
In response, India was able to expeditiously remove the Kiwi openers. But to stabilise the situation and set the stage for a decisive victory, Will Young and Daryl Mitchell put together a massive 162-run partnership off 152 balls.
Mitchell got consecutive reprieves in the 36th over. Prasidh Krishna dropped the all-rounder off the next ball after Ravindra Jadeja missed a run out opportunity. In the end, the 34-year-old scored 131 off 117 balls to finish undefeated.
Additional atypical mistakes were made, especially by Shubman Gill, who is often one of India’s safest fielders. The team’s poor performance on the pitch has drawn criticism from supporters, who have also questioned T Dilip’s status as fielding coach.
The Men in Blue will need to get their act together before the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 7. In the meantime, India and New Zealand are level 1-1 in their three-match series. On Sunday, January 18, the third and final ODI will take place at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
India
