India battled New Zealand in an intense thriller at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday (January 18) and won the contest by 12 runs.
Batting first, India put up a massive total of 349-8 on the board with the help of Shubman Gill’s blistering 208-run knock. Rohit Sharma 34 and Suryakumar Yadav 31, also contributed to the team’s total. Meanwhile, Henry Shipley and Daryl Mitchell took two wickets each for New Zealand.
In reply, New Zealand got off to a rough start and lost four of their batters with just 89 runs on the scoreboard. However, Michael Bracewell, who came in to bat at no. 7, played skillfully and kept the hopes alive for the Kiwis.
Bracewell scored a fabulous ton and smashed twelve fours and ten sixes in his knock of 140. The 31-year-old was well supported by all-rounder Mitchell Santner who scored 57.
When it almost felt like Bracewell and Santner would take the game away from Men in Blue, India’s star pacer Mohammed Siraj broke the partnership and dismissed Santner on the fourth ball of the 46th over.
On the next ball, Siraj cleaned up Shipley for a golden duck. The 28-year-old rolled his fingers and bowled an off-seam delivery to Shipley, which the latter failed to read completely, and the ball went past his bat to rattle the middle stump.
Shipley seemed clueless after his dismissal, while the local boy Siraj was seen charged up and celebrating.
Here’s the video:
The @mdsirajofficial effect! 🔥🔥
Middle stump out of the ground 👌
Live – https://t.co/IQq47h2W47 #INDvNZ @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/mxYajNShmC
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 18, 2023
Notably, just a few days back, Siraj bagged the third spot in the newly released ICC Men’s ODI bowling rankings following his performance in the series against Sri Lanka. He took nine wickets in three matches against the Islanders.
India are now 1-0 up against New Zealand in the three-match ODI series and would look to seal the leg in the next encounter. The remaining matches are to be played in Raipur and Indore, respectively.
