India continued their domination over the hosts New Zealand, winning the second game on the trot to lead the five-match ODI series 2-0.
Putting on 324 after choosing to bat first, India had given the Kiwis 325-run target and the spinners did the rest as the hosts crumbled to a 90-run loss. This is India’s biggest win against the Blackcaps on New Zealand soil in terms of runs.
Rohit Sharma shined with the bat
With the ball swinging early on at the Bay Oval, Rohit Sharma rode his luck and was careful to start off with, slowly picking up his pace as the pitch settled down. He took on Lockie Ferguson for sixes in back-to-back overs before consecutive fours off Trent Boult further got him into groove. Just as the Indian vice-captain seemed set for a big one, Ferguson had him caught out with a short ball, 13 short of a ton.
Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled the Kiwi batsmen
Kuldeep Yadav, who had picked up four wickets in the first ODI, remained the star performer for India with the ball, as he once again took four wickets to clean up New Zealand’s middle order. The chinaman dismissed Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme and Ish Sodhi as the visitors bowled out the hosts for 234 in the 325-run chase.
Kuldeep finished with 4/45 in his full quota of 10 overs.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the match:
India have been convincing yet again today to go 2 up in the series. The opening partnership was the key & bowlers did the rest. Most sides will have to find a way to score runs against @yuzi_chahal & @imkuldeep18 & not lose too many wickets in the middle overs. #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/OyJVq63h8d
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 26, 2019
Mission Domination! Another dominant performance and an easy victory for Team India. Fantastic bowling performance in both matches from @imkuldeep18 pic.twitter.com/L1GIJFIWPC
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 26, 2019
Fantastic win for India. Just love the way the two wrist spinners bowl. I reckon Kuldeep as the best white ball spinner in the world currently. 77 wkts in 37 games is special #NZvIND
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 26, 2019
Clinical again from the #Meninblue going 0-2 up in the series vs a good NZ side says a lot about this team 👏👏👏#NZvIND
— Deep Dasgupta (@DeepDasgupta7) January 26, 2019
One Sided. India too good for Kiwis. 👏 👏 #NZvInd @StarSportsIndia
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 26, 2019
Another clinical performance , another convincing victory and another complete team effort. May we continue with the momentum . #NZvInd pic.twitter.com/09wPLyubMd
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 26, 2019
India have a good formula going. Most important they are taking wickets which is the key in limited overs cricket. And they are doing this without Bumrah. If the World Cup were to be played today India would be almost ready.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 26, 2019
Kuldeep and Chahal — KulCha as they are known now — have run circles around Kiwi batsmen once again. Clearly the deadliest ODI bowlers in the middle overs & India’s biggest strength
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 26, 2019
Kiwis put up another dismal show..their past performance vs Ind at home is lot better than presently..Kane vs Kohli is becoming terribly one sided..not good fr home fans..fr their own ranking Kiwis must learn to fly..& soon..so that Crkt followers can enjoy better contests..!!
— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi) January 26, 2019
New Zealand already in trouble. And they haven’t even completed their KYC formalities 😬. The Kuldeep Yadav Challenge! #NZvsIND #CricbuzzLIVE @ImZaheer @bhogleharsha
— Gautam Bhimani (@gbhimani) January 26, 2019
Another victory for team india 🇮🇳 👏👏👏 congratulations guys top bowling performance by @imkuldeep18 @yuzi_chahal @BhuviOfficial 😊🇮🇳💪
— Rahul Sharma (@ImRahulSharma3) January 26, 2019
Biggest wins for India by runs in NZ in ODIs:
90 v NZ, Mount Maunganui, 2019*
84 v NZ, Hamilton, 2009
58 v NZ, Christchurch, 2009
55 v Zimbabwe, Hamilton, 1992 #NZvIND— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) January 26, 2019
