India v New Zealand ODI series: Top 5 Highlights

The India v New Zealand series came to a close when Axar Patel breached the impregnable defenses of southpaw Mitchell Santner. This signified India’s 190-run win against the Kiwis and also signified that the Kiwis have not been able to overwhelm the Indians in their own backyard on 5 attempts.

While this proved that the Indians broke their ODI losing streak at home, this also highlighted a few important aspects of the game the Indians have improved in recent times. First and foremost will be the fact that this was Anil Kumble’s first ODI series as well as series win as a coach.

Second was the fact that the future of Indian cricket is in good hands, especially given the fact that this was a second string Indian team of sorts. That said, here are five of the most prominent things that took place in the recently concluded series.

1. Kedar Jadhav chances his ‘golden arm’

Kedar Jadhav is very much a second-string player for India in ODI cricket. The 31-year old is supremely talented and there is simply no doubt about that. Yet, when he competes with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and the rest of the Brady Bunch, Kedar Jadhav almost always settles for the silver medal.

However, this time around, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, the 31-year old unearthed a new avatar. While one sees him as a good finisher of the side, the other sees him as a more than handy part-time bowler.

Jadhav chanced his arm in all the five matches he played in and also picked wickets at regular intervals. For a man who was content with keeping wickets, his off-spin certainly came in handy time and again as he claimed six wickets in the series.