India v New Zealand, 3rd ODI - 5 Talking Points

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni led from the front as India went ahead and clinched an impressive win against all odds against a relentless New Zealand side in the third ODI at Mohali. The Kiwis, however, put up a fight against the Indians, something they have seldom shown on the current tour. However, it was Virat Kohli who stole the show with a ton as well as the fact that Mohali finally brought one more MS Dhoni special.

1. New Zealand gets off to a flier

While the Indian pacers have been the ones to grab the early wickets in recent times, the Kiwis got off to a terrific start with a few massive hits to the fence. In short, it seemed as though Martin Guptill was well and truly back to his best while the likes of Tom Latham and Kane Williamson also got into the act as they ensured that the Kiwis would be off to a flier.

2. Kedar Jadhav chances his golden arm

Kedar Jadhav is a batsman and a good one. Sometimes he also keeps wickets in the domestic level. However, MS Dhoni seemingly discovered something when it came to an inherent ability to spin the ball as far as Kedar Jadhav was concerned. In the series, the 31-year old has bee used rather sparingly and has been brought on to dislodge partnerships. Once again, Jadhav was brought on to do the same, only this time, he made much more of an impact than he did previously.

3. Henry and Neesham make the death overs count

Although the Kiwis were up and running from the word go, the fact of the matter remained that Jimmy Neesham and Matt Henry could possibly get the Kiwis to a zone of safety, something that they had in the previous match. They added 84 runs for the eighth wicket as the Indians were left frustrated with the duo’s antics. While Henry remained unbeaten on 39, Neesham managed 57 runs.

4. Virat Kohli to the rescue yet again

For the last four years, Virat Kohli has been one of the few things that has stood between India and wins in ODIs on many an occasion. The 27-year old batted with skipper MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey as he went ahead and slammed his 26th ODI ton, something that has already set him apart from many a player in recent times. He battled hard as he went on to score 154 simply valuable runs for the Indian cause.

5. MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey play second fiddle

MS Dhoni rolled back the years as he slammed 80 important runs having pushed himself up the batting order. This was also clear evidence of the simple fact that he can bat upon being called on to do so. While he did impress with some patient batting, it was clear that Manish Pandey also exuded the same lustre that Virat Kohli had whilst stitching an important partnership with the Indian vice-captain.