'Unreal bowling' - Twitter lauds Indian bowlers after New Zealand folded for paltry 108 in Raipur
The Kiwis finished with a paltry score of 108 runs on the board, their third lowest against India in ODIs.
The ODI series opener between India and New Zealand witnessed an enthralling contest in Hyderabad. However, the decisive second match of the series in Raipur was a stark contrast to the first game as the Kiwi batters had no answers against the menacing Indian bowling attack.
Rohit Sharma won the toss in the second match of the series and elected to bowl first after prevailing in a last-over thriller in Hyderabad to go 1-0 up in the series. Much like the series opener, the Kiwis were jolted early after dashing opener Finn Allen was cleaned up by Mohammed Shami in the very first over of the match.
Things turned from bad to worse for the visitors when Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell also departed in successive overs. Indian pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj were all over their opponents like a rash, with the Kiwis reeling at three for nine in the seventh over of the match.
India struck a hammer blow to dash New Zealand's comeback hopes when mercurial all-rounder Hardik Pandya grabbed a terrific reflex catch to dismiss Devon Conway. Conway's dismissal was followed by the departure of skipper Tom Latham in the very next over as the Blackcaps were staring down the barrel with the scoreboard reading an abysmal 15/5 in the 11th over of the match.
New Zealand collapse after a brief fightback by Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips
However, New Zealand mounted a comeback of sorts after last match's hero Michael Bracewell played some lovely shots in an invaluable partnership with Glenn Phillips. But the dangerous southpaw was dismissed following a searing bouncer by Shami.
A 47-run stand between Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips provided some hope for the visitors, but both the set batters departed in quick succession as New Zealand sank further into the match. The Indian bowlers made light work of the tail as the Kiwis finished with a paltry score of 108 runs on the board, their third lowest against India in ODIs. Shami was the pick of the Indian bowlers with three scalps to his name while his opening bowling partner Siraj picked solitary wicket in the match. Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar also bagged two wickets each.
Here is how Twitter reacted to a dominant bowling performance by India in the second ODI in Raipur:
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