'I had great hopes that it would be an amazing match' - Aakash Chopra laments meek surrender by New Zealand batters in Raipur

New Zealand were rolled over meekly by hosts India in the second ODI in Raipur, handing the home side an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was disappointed by Tom Latham's New Zealand after their woeful display in the first-ever international match in Raipur.

The Kiwi top-order failed to fire for a second game running, and there wasn't any fightback from the lower-order batters this time around, contributing to their modest 108-run total. The cricketer turned expert Aakash Chopra was expecting a better performance from the Kiwis as it was the first international game hosted at the venue.

"It was the first international match on the Raipur ground. I had great hopes that it would be an amazing match because obviously, it has got another charm. But what is this - 108 runs, what are you doing?" Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

We were saying - Is it a cricket match or a football score?: Chopra

The floodgates opened for the home side when New Zealand's explosive opener Finn Allen was cleaned up by Mohammed Shami in the first over of the match. They slumped to 15/5 just after the conclusion of the first powerplay and were staring at an embarrassing total. However, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, and Mitchell Santner played brief cameos to take their side past the 100-run mark.

Chopra reckoned that there weren't any demons in the pitch and pinned it down to ordinary batting performances by the visitors. The former Indian opener revealed that it felt like a football score at the start of the New Zealand innings when they were three down for just nine runs on the board.

"The start was extremely ordinary. Finn Allen was dismissed off the fifth ball of the first over and then they became 9-3. We were saying - Is it a cricket match or a football score? The difference was that whoever has nine against their name is winning there, here the scale was tilted towards those who had three against their name," he added.

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