India’s chase in the first ODI against New Zealand got off to a bad start as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck at Eden Park in Auckland. The Indian opener failed to score and New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson gave the hosts an early breakthrough.
The match was again interrupted when rain stopped play after 10.5 overs of India’s innings. India were 54/1 at the time of stoppage chasing a target of 186 runs (New Zealand had been bowled out for 185).
Rohit Sharma Departs Without Scoring
Rohit Sharma only faced six deliveries. He was out for nought in the last ball of the opening over when Mitchell Santner took a catch off Kyle Jamieson’s bowling.
The early wicket gave New Zealand an opportunity to put pressure on India’s batting line up. Rohit was expected to get a good start during the chase but when he got out it brought Virat Kohli in earlier than expected.
Jamieson’s breakthrough was an important moment for the hosts as they needed early wickets to defend their total.
Gill and Kohli Steady India's Chase
After Rohit’s dismissal captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli tried to get the innings back on track. Both batters wanted to keep scoreboard ticking but not allow further setbacks.
At the time rain stopped play Gill was unbeaten on 17 off 32 balls and Kohli had scored 29 off 27 deliveries. Their partnership had helped India reach 54/1 in 10.5 overs.
Kohli’s positivity was crucial as India looked to hold on to momentum after losing an experienced opener early on.
Rain Interrupts Play After 10.5 Overs
Rain was the talking point of the second innings at Eden Park. Play was stopped after India had gone through 10.5 overs with the visitors on 54/1.
India needed another 132 runs to win with 39.1 overs remaining in the scheduled innings. With play stopped players had to wait for conditions to improve before they could resume the match.
Weather interruptions can change the rhythm of a chase and may bring the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method into play if the match is shortened. The revised target (if any) would depend on how long the interruption was and the playing conditions.
India Have the Advantage but Need to Finish the Chase
New Zealand's bowlers had earlier been restricted to 185 runs in 40.2 overs. Arshdeep Singh took four wickets for India, Gurnoor Brar three and Anshul Kamboj two.
India needed 186 runs to start the ODI series with a win. Rohit had been dismissed early but Gill and Kohli had steadied the visitors’ ship.
The focus now was on the weather and resumption of play. India would want to finish off the chase without losing any further wickets and New Zealand would hope that interruption and conditions helped their bowlers.
The first ODI had already seen an India bowling display but rain added another dimension to the contest and whether it would be a match won or lost depended on how many overs were left and when the weather returned.
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