The second ODI between India and New Zealand ended with No Result as rain played spoilsport in Hamilton on Sunday, November 27. Only 12.5 overs of play was possible at Seddon Park before rain interrupted the match. Team India was asked to bat first by Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. They made a couple of changes to the team, Deepak Hooda and Deepak Chahar in place of Sanju Samson and Shardul Thakur. The decision to drop Sanju Samson was heavily criticized by fans and experts.
Sanju Samson played the first ODI of the series at Eden Park in Auckland. He scored 36 runs in 38 deliveries, with four boundaries in the match. Team India put on 306 runs on the board, however, they failed to defend the target, losing the match by seven wickets. Sanju Samson has played only 11 ODIs so far for India. The decision to drop him for the second ODI did not go down well with the fans.
Team India skipper Shikhar Dhawan explained the reason behind benching Sanju Samson. Speaking after the second ODI got abandoned, the left-handed batter said as quoted by NDTV,
“We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out and Hooda came in. And Chahar was picked because he can swing the ball really well, and in both directions.”
Looking forward to the third game: Shikhar Dhawan
Team India skipper Shikhar Dhawan further also spoke about the second ODI. He expressed that the team was waiting for the game to start, however, couldn’t help it in the end with the result. He added that they are looking forward to the third and final ODI. Dhawan said,
“Not in our control, you just have to wait. We were waiting to get the game started, can’t help it. Now looking forward to the third game. I was quite surprised with the surface, I thought it would be seaming quite a bit, but it wasn’t as much as the last match. It was good to bat on and to see Shubman perform this way was very encouraging. A few of our guys are resting but this side is still strong, shows the depth of our squad.”
The third ODI between India and New Zealand will take place on Wednesday, November 30 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. New Zealand is leading the series 1-0, heading into the final match.
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