Hamilton, Nov 27: Rain played spoilsport as the second ODI between New Zealand and India was called off after a lengthy delay. However, the hosts gained crucial Super League points to rise to No.3 on the table.
New Zealand opted to bowl first and made one change to their side – Michael Bracewell replaced Adam Milne.
On the other hand, Deepak Chahar came in for Shardul Thakur, while Deepak Hooda replaced Sanju Samson in Indian setup.
India openers Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill started cautiously before the rain disrupted their innings on 22/0 in the fifth over. A long delay ensued with the rain threatening to overpower at every inspection.
The play resumed after nearly three and half hours, reduced to 29-overs-a-side. The long break brought Dhawan’s downfall as Matt Henry removed him on the second ball after the resumption.
Suryakumar Yadav joined Gill in the middle and together the duo began accelerating with thr latter approaching his second half-century of the series.
However, the rain returned again, forcing the players off the field. It refused to relent and the game was finally called off.
When rain came down, the Indian scorecard read 89/1 in 12.5 overs with Shubman Gill (45 not out) and Suryakumar Yadav (34 not out) out in the middle.
The duo had put on an unbeaten partnership of 66 runs for the second wicket after Dhawan’s dismissal.
After the match, India skipper Dhawan said that he was delighted to see the batters play with intent.
“It (weather) is not in our control. You just have to wait. Cannot help it but now looking forward to the next game. The surface was very good. I thought that the surface would be seaming more, but it was very delightful to see all the batters play with intent,” said Dhawan.
Dhawan also praised youngsters Shubman Gill and Umran Malik for the maturity that they have shown.
“We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so we brought Hooda in place of Samson. With Chahar, we wanted to try him and get one more swing bowler, who can trouble the batters. All the senior players are resting. It is already showing a bit of depth. We are quite confident about them. It is exciting that it makes me feel so young. It is just a good exposure to come in and play in New Zealand, and at the same time, they have been performing so well,” he said.
“Shubman has been batting so well in these conditions, and even Umran Malik in the last game. The transition and maturity they are carrying is good. As a team we are process-oriented and we make sure we show that on the field. We do the process right, things will come right for us.”
The abandonment meant New Zealand and India shared five points each on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Standings.
New Zealand are now third in the standings with 125 points, just below England.
New Zealand continue to lead the three-match series 1-0 as they had defeated India by seven wickets in the first ODI. The third and final ODI will be played in Christchurch on 30 November.
