India v New Zealand ODI series – Combined XI

After a rather one-sided Test series which went totally in India’s favor, New Zealand was expected to fight back in the ODI format as it was placed above India in the ICC ODI rankings before the start of the series. Kiwis did put up a great fight and managed to win two good games when they defended mediocre totals against the strong batting line-up of India.

India started off winning the first game at Dharamsala quite comfortably but New Zealand came back to win a close contest at Delhi. The third game Mohali saw a masterful innings by Virat Kohli which helped India stroll to victory. New Zealand then leveled the series at Ranchi by superb bowling performances. The final game at Vizag brought back the memories of the Test series as New Zealand batsmen surrendered against the Indian spinners and India emerged victorious by a margin of 3-2 in the 5-match series.

None of the ODIs saw a score of above 300 which is pretty rare in the modern era. The pitches were slow throughout the series but nothing could be taken away from the bowlers from both sides who bowled exceptionally well. Amidst all the good bowling, there were a few brilliant innings from batsmen like Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and MS Dhoni. In the end, India was the stronger team and despite commendable efforts, New Zealand ended up on the losing side.

Here is look at the combined XI from both sides featuring players who put up outstanding performances:

1. Tom Latham:

The left-handed opening batsman was amongst the biggest positives for New Zealand throughout the tour. He was gutsy in the Test series when other batsmen were giving up against the spinners. In the ODIs as well, he provided good starts to the innings on a few occasions.

He finished being the second highest run-getter in the series and the best amongst the New Zealanders. He scored 244 runs in 5 innings at an average of 61 and also scored two half-centuries. His highest score of 79 came in the first game at Dharamsala where he carried his bat through the innings.