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: Tom Latham. (Photo Source: BCCI) 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. 2. Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: BCCI) Although the Indian opener did not have a great time in the series, yet his stats were better than the other two openers Rohit Sharma and Martin Guptill to make it to the squad. He scored 143 runs in 5 innings at an average of 28.6. He got off to good starts on a few occasions but did not go on to get a big score on any of the occasions. His sole half-century came in the 4th game at Ranchi where he scored 57 runs but the team did not get to the target of 261 runs. Also read – India v New Zealand, 5th ODI – Statistical Highlights 3. Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI) Continuing on the good form Kohli gained in the Test series, he was brilliant in the ODI series as well. He was the top run-getter in the series and finished with 358 runs with a massive average of 119.33 with a tremendous strike rate of 100.84. All this came amidst the struggle of most other batsmen from both the sides. He scored above fifty in all the 3 games that India won. In the third game at Mohali, he scored 154 not out and put up a treat to fans. His scores in the series read 85*, 9, 154*, 45 and 65. The current Indian team is heavily dependent on him and the man from Delhi does the job more often than not. 4. Kane Williamson: Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Kiwi skipper fought hard in the series and his wicket was the most vital for India for the whole of the tour. Williamson finished with 211 runs in 5 innings at an average of 42.2. His dismissal in the last match proved to be the turning point as a flurry of wickets fell after his departure. He scored the first century of the series in the second ODI at Delhi which was also one of the only 2 in the 5 games. He scored 118 runs off 128 balls and was solely responsible for taking the Kiwi score to 242 runs. He was also instrumental in his captaincy and the bowling changes were immaculate for most parts. 5. MS Dhoni (C & WK): MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Indian captain batted at number 5 in the first two games but moved one spot up from the 3rd ODI and the move paid dividend straight away as he scored 80 runs and alongside Kohli, gave India a cruising victory. It was a move that was long debated in the Indian contingent that he should free himself from the duties of being the finisher. He played another useful innings in the last game when he got 41 runs on a slow surface which were vital in the context of the match. He ended up with 192 runs in 5 games and was the 2nd highest run-getter for India and the 4th overall. 6. Kedar Jadhav: Indian team celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: BCCI) He was the surprise package for India, especially with his skillful bowling. Before the series, he was not known for his spin bowling and Dhoni brought him on as an experiment in the first ODI and he responded with 2 key wickets. He picked up 6 wickets in 4 innings at an excellent average of 12.16 with just 4.05 runs per over. With the bat too, he played a couple of useful innings and scored 90 runs in 4 innings by getting dismissed on just 2 occasions. His innings of 39 runs off 37 balls in the last match was a top knock which took India to a total of 269 runs that proved to be more than enough at the end. 7. Amit Mishra: (Photo Source: BCCI) After being sidelined for the Test series, Mishra was the premier spinner in the absence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. He made full use of the responsibility and bagged 15 wickets in 5 matches and ended up being the top wicket-taker of the series by far. The leg-spinner was amongst the wickets in all the 5 matches and turned it up a notch in the last game where he bagged a fifer. Going by his current form, he would have been handy in the Test series as well if he was provided with the opportunity. Also read – IND v NZ 5th ODI Review: India seal the series 3-2 as NZ stumble against Amit Mishra’s leg-spin 8. Tim Southee: Tim Southee. (Photo by Jan Kruger-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) The tall fast bowler missed out in the Test series due to an injury but made a comeback in the ODIs and bowled his heart out right through the series. He picked up 7 wickets in 5 matches at an economy rate of 5.47. He provided early breakthroughs for the team and had the number of Rohit Sharma. He grabbed the wicket of the Indian opener on 3 occasions. His best performance came in the 4th ODI at Ranchi where he had figures of 40/3 and was instrumental in halting the strong Indian batting line-up from chasing the total. 9. Umesh Yadav: (Photo Source: BCCI) The Indian pacer picked up 8 wickets in the series and was the second highest wicket-taker. On occasions, he was guilty of giving away runs during the slog overs but gave early strikes on most occasions. His pace was up and was able to generate late swing that troubled the batsman at the start. Martin Guptill was his major victim and he bagged his wicket 3 times, twice on duck and in the first over both times. He delivered the balls on good lengths and the late swing castled him twice and trapped him in front once. 10. Jasprit Bumrah: India’s bowler Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Bumrah has become the death overs specialist since the day of his debut. He has immaculate accuracy with the yorkers something which is unusual for an Indian fast bowler. He missed out in the 4th ODI but made a pleasant comeback in the final match. He picked up 6 wickets in 4 innings at an amazing economy rate of 4.04. His best figures of 35/3 came in the second ODI at Delhi where he grabbed 3 wickets in quick succession at the death overs and stopped the Kiwi total to 242 that was once looking like going over 300. Also read – Twitter Reactions: New Zealand stumble against Amit Mishra’s crafty leg-spin 11. Trent Boult: Trent Boult. (Photo by Scott Barbour-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) In the Test series, he bowled with huge efforts when the pitches weren’t too assisting for the fast bowlers. In the ODIs as well, he ran in for every single delivery and there was no doubt about the commitment of the fast bowler to his team. After sitting out the first ODI, he returned in the second ODI and bowled a magnificent spell of 25/2 in 10 overs which helped New Zealand win a tight contest. The third game wasn’t too fruitful for him as Kohli was all guns blazing against him. But he did well in the two games that followed to finish with 6 wickets in the series.

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India v New Zealand ODI series – Combined XI

5. MS Dhoni (C & WK):

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