I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line: Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar was quite surprised by how easily New Zealand dominated India in the second ODI in Rajkot, denying India the freedom to experiment with its combination in the final ODI, in Indore.

Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Gavaskar stated that everyone thought India would use the slowness of the pitch to their benefit, adding that it should’ve been an easy win for India, restricting New Zealand around 260 or 270 in a 285-run chase.

"I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line because, before they started batting, everyone thought India would be able to make use of the slowness of the pitch," Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.

"With their (New Zealand) bowlers, not just the spinners, but all of them, using the slowness of the surface well, it felt like India would be able to restrict New Zealand to around 260 or 270. I thought that would have been an easy win for India," he added.

India batted first after losing the toss. KL Rahul scored a century off 87 balls as India posted a dominating total of 284/7 in 50 overs. In the chase, New Zealand finished the game with 15 balls to spare, thanks to Will Young's 87-run knock and Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 131-run knock off 117 balls. 

"...had they won this game, they would have had the freedom to experiment a little, perhaps giving opportunities to those who haven't played so far. Someone like Jaiswal could have gotten a bit of a run as well. All of that might have been possible. But now they can't take any chances. They have to play their best eleven again,” he concluded. 

India will next take on New Zealand in the third and final ODI of the series on Sunday, January 18, in Indore.

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