Shikhar Dhawan & Co walked out at Hamilton’s Seddon Park on Sunday to find an equaliser in the ongoing 3-match ODI series. It was a do-or-die encounter for Team India as its reeling behind after suffering a 7-wicket defeat in the opener on Friday in Auckland. Once again, the visitors were asked to bat first and in fact, they went off to a decent start. But soon the excitement was turned down as the heavens opened up repeatedly and ultimately, the game had to be called off. New Zealand still lead the series with one more game to go.
Unlike the Auckland ODI, stand-in skipper Shikhar Dhawan departed early after scoring a 10-ball 3. But his partner Shubman Gill was dealing with the kiwi attack superbly. Before the rain forced an abandonment, he had scored 45 runs off 42 deliveries, with the help of four boundaries and a six.
Gill, who scored a fifty in the first ODI, earned massive praise from Ravi Shastri. Speaking exclusively to Prime Video, the former India head coach lauded the youngster’s timing and highlighted his hunger for runs.
“His emphasis today was in the timing of the ball. Sometimes when you are out of your depth, you want to get on with it by trying to hit the ball hard. He was in good control with good footwork. It is great to watch him play. There is something regal about him,” Shastri said on Amazon Prime video.
“He is a quality player and he’s going to be around for a long time (decade’s time). He has good work ethics, he trains hard, he’s hungry and he loves this game. He will continue to play because his grooming is good, he is always grounded,” he added.
ALSO READ | IND vs NZ: ‘He is An Easy Target’-Sanju Samson Faces Axe for Second ODI, Twitter Loses Calm
India were 89 for 1 in 12.5 overs when rain stopped play. The match was reduced to 29-overs-a-side as the first interruption caused a four-hour break. India were 22 for no loss in the fifth over at that time.
Soon after resumption, Dhawan (3 off 10 balls) tried to up the ante but ended up losing his wicket. Gill (45 batting) and Surya (34 batting) added 66 effortless runs in under eight overs before the game ended without any result.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here