cricket

Updated: Jan 26, 2019 06:49 IST

India’s top-order is regarded as one of the best in the world, if not the best, but numbers reveal a big worry for the team ahead of the second ODI of the five-match series against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.

Opener Rohit Sharma’s record against the Kiwis isn’t the best and that may come to trouble the visitors in the forthcoming matches.

Also Read: India vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI Live Cricket Score at Bay Oval

While Shikhar Dhawan returned to form in spectacular style in Napier, hitting an unbeaten 75, Rohit was dismissed for just 19 in a small chase, showing he hasn’t gotten over his mental block against New Zealand just yet.

So far, Rohit has played 19 ODI against the Kiwis and has scored 544 runs at an average of 34.00 which is his second worst (minimum 15 matches). Moreover his strike rate of 78.61 is the lowest in comparison to the other teams.

To make matters worse, Rohit has played 10 ODIs on NZ soil and has scored 279 runs at an average of 34.87, which is the fourth lowest among all the countries.

Rohit was one of the leading run-getters in the three-match ODI series against Australia recently but majority of the 185 runs he scored was down to the ton that he scored in a losing cause in Sydney. In the next two matches in Adelaide and Melbourne, he scored 9 & 43 respectively.

The star India opener will look to get back to form and improve his form in New Zealand in the next few matches as Rohit will have an additional burden of captaincy when Kohli — who has been rested for the final to matches and T20I series — will hand over the reigns of the team to him.

Squads:

New Zealand (From): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi

India (From): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, K Khaleel Ahmed