India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI: Live scores: On a high after a defining tour of Australia, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team faces a trickier challenge when it locks horns with an ever-so-sprightly New Zealand in the first ODI of the five-match ODI series on Wednesday.
The Indian team, which has shifted its focus entirely on World Cup preparations, is still searching for the right middle-order combination despite their first-ever bilateral ODI series win on Australian soil.
MS Dhoni’s hat-trick of half-centuries has brought joy to the dressing room but the smaller grounds in New Zealand against a better seam attack comprising the wily Trent Boult, the talented Lockie Ferguson and the relentless Tim Southee will be a different test altogether for the ‘Men In Blue’.
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Toss: NZ win toss, opt to bat in 1st ODI
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson wins the toss, opts to bat in the opening ODI of the five-match series at Napier. Here are the playing XIs:
NZ XI: M Guptill, C Munro, K Williamson, R Taylor, H Nicholls, T Latham, M Santner, D Bracewell, T Southee, L Ferguson, T Boult
IND XI: Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli(c), Dhoni(w), Jadhav, Rayudu, Shankar, Yadav, Chahal, Kumar, Shami
The play begins in Napier!
After the respective national anthems, New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro take the crease and for India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar begins the proceedings
OUT! Shami draws first blood, Guptill goes for 5
After Bhuvi opened the bowling, has Shami from the other end. Shami appeals for an LBW on his very second ball but there is an inside edge. Two deliveries later, he does have a wicket. His 100the ODI wicket as he cleans up Guptill’s stumps. Shami bowls an inswinger, Guptill tries to hit it with hard hards but only manages an inside edge that lands on his stumps. Meanwhile, Shami (56 matches) becomes the fastest Indian to 100 ODI wickets, bettering Irfan Pathan (59 matches). Fewest ODIs by an Indian bowler to 100 ODI wickets:
56 Mohammed Shami
59 Irfan Pathan
65 Zaheer Khan
67 Ajit Agarkar
68 Javagal Srinath
A double strike for Shami: Munro out for 8
What a start from Shami and India here in the first ODI. After removing Guptill, Shami beats his opening partner with an indipper. Munro did not move, tries to drive in the gap between his bat and ball before getting bowled. NZ are in trouble, they have two new batsmen but their best at the crease now – Williamson and Taylor. NZ are 19 for 2 Overs 6
Chahal strikes!
Chahal breaks the 34-run stand between Williamson and Taylor as he dismisses the latter in the 15th over. Chahal tosses the ball up in the first two balls of the over before bowling one in and a confused Taylor only manages to give a return catch to the bowler, who makes no mistake here. India have three wickets inside three overs, just the start they wanted against this No. 2 side. NZ are 91 for 4, Overs 21