India’s batting line-up got exposed in slightly favourable bowling conditions as New Zealand gave Virat Kohli and men a rude wake-up call, winning their first warm-up game ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 by six wickets on Saturday.
Under overcast conditions, Trent Boult’s incisive swing bowling (4/33) was a test of technique for the Indian top-order batsmen and the Men In Blue never recovered from an early collapse, being bundled out for 179 in 39.2 overs.
It was a walk in the park for the Black Caps as they reached the target in just 37.1 overs with Kane Williamson (67) and Ross Taylor (71) helping themselves to half-centuries.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
Not the start #TeamIndia wanted. New Zealand win the warm-up match by 6 wickets. #INDvNZ #OrangeArmy #RiseWithUs
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 25, 2019
Quick track full of grass, @hardikpandya7 looked good and I think a practice game has to prepare you for the worst. @trent_boult should feel confident after taking big Indian wickets. The right kind of finish @imjadeja 💪#INDvNZ #WorldCup
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) May 25, 2019
Not the start Indian team wished for their World Cup campaign but expecting better performance going into the tournament #Worldcup19
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 25, 2019
Spinners going at 6 an over…only One wicket in the process. Bhuvi-Shami not picking wickets. Whatever could’ve gone wrong…has indeed gone wrong. Good to get this out of the way…. #IndvNZ #CWC19
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 25, 2019
Hi guys 😉😉😉😂😂😂 https://t.co/0vz0wI8tMM
— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) May 25, 2019
India lost to KwaZulu-Natal by 32 runs while chasing 191 in the warm-up match ahead of the 2003 World Cup…….. #CWC19 #INDvNZ
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) May 25, 2019
A tough day at work for the #MenInBlue as the Kiwis win by 6 wickets in the first warm-up match.#OneFamily #CricketMeriJaan #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/oglFK92t19
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 25, 2019
Howzaaaaaaaaat?!#CWC19 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/20JCjAuXGN
— ICC (@ICC) May 25, 2019
This match symbolised the worst Indian fears. So much hinges on the Top 3 that every time a couple falls, India are always playing catch-up. A relief though this happened in a practice match, right at the beginning of the tour. Next one in Cardiff can be a 180 degree switch
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) May 25, 2019
An ideal wake-up call for India.#CWC19 #INDvNZ
— Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) May 25, 2019
A loss is a lesson! And when it comes in a warm up match, an early lesson. Need to bounce back hard! To all bowlers, you are better than this! 😒#INDvNZ
— CHINMAY 🇮🇳 (@beardedCVS) May 25, 2019
Pitch today nothing like you would find in the main games. Not as much work has gone into it. So take India’s batting performance with a pinch of salt.#ICCWC2019
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 25, 2019
