Team India secured the five-match T20I series against New Zealand by a 3-2 margin. Although they suffered defeats in the last two encounters, the Men in Blue did enough in the first half of the rubber to secure the victory.
It was, on the whole, an unconvincing display from India. There are clear holes in the side, with the bowling department and the team balance leaving a bit to be desired. At the same time, however, there were plenty of promising takeaways for the visitors.
On that note, here are three big positives for Team India from their 3-2 series win over New Zealand.
#3 Naman Dhir impressed with the bat once again
Naman Dhir, who had a decent start to his international career earlier this year, took to conditions in New Zealand well. He finished as India’s second-highest run-scorer in the series, managing 138 runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 200.
Dhir took India over the line in a tense chase alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy, showcasing his impressive pace-hitting ability. He has also displayed the skillset to get going from ball one, while having enough range against both pace and spin.
Dhir seems to have clearly leapfrogged Washington Sundar in the white-ball pecking order.
#2 Nitish Kumar Reddy showed that there’s enough to work with
In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy got to play all five T20Is against New Zealand. Preferred ahead of Shivam Dube perhaps due to his superior skillset with the ball, the all-rounder did a decent job in both departments.
While Reddy didn’t do anything particularly notable, he showed enough promise. He struck a few big blows lower down the order and hit his yorkers well while bowling his full quota of overs more often than not. The youngster took on his bowling responsibilities well, proving that he can step in whenever needed.
#1 Abhishek Sharma was at his explosive best at the top of the order
India’s leading run-scorer was, once again, the incredible Abhishek Sharma. The explosive southpaw made 197 runs in the series at an average of 39.4 and a strike rate of 223.86.
Abhishek’s performance across conditions has been impeccable throughout his T20I career. He has proven that he has what it takes to adapt to overseas venues, something that will be important for India in the lead-up to the next edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Abhishek is an out-and-out match-winner on his day, and he proved that once again in New Zealand.
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Edited by Sai Krishna
