Last night at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, ODI cricket was at its best. We witnessed a mouth watering contest between India and New Zealand which went till the last over of the 2nd Innings. The result was decided in the 50th Over with Shardul Thakur bringing the first match home for India.
Shardul Thakur bowled a Pinpoint Yorker to Dismiss Michael Bracewell in the last over!#INDvNZ #NZvIND #ShardulThakur #Cricket pic.twitter.com/gYfvwMfLa7
— ScoresNow (@scoresnow_in) January 18, 2023
But credits should be given too Micheal Bracewell too. The left-handed batter had an exquisite outing at the middle and almost took the match away from India’s grip. He came onto bat at a tough situation when the Kiwis were 110/5. He partnered with Tom Latham but the Wicket-keeper batsman departed very soon.
Michael Bracewell 👏👏👏👏 Top Class Performance WITH BAT#INDvsNZ #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/cNT9DpcQP5
— CricketFans (@_fans_cricket) January 18, 2023
Then came Mitchell Santner to bat and he paired alongside Bracewell to steady New Zealand’s sinking course. Both the left-handers initiated calmly but once set they accelerated and started taking on the Indian bowling up. Bracewell completed only his second full-century and the third fastest in New Zealand’s history as he reached triple fig in just 57 deliveries.
The @mdsirajofficial effect! 🔥🔥
Middle stump out of the ground 👌
Live – https://t.co/IQq47h2W47 #INDvNZ @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/mxYajNShmC
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 18, 2023
His century broke another record set by former Indian World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni. It is a very rare record but unique on its own. Bracewell has now joined MS Dhoni as one of the batter to reach the 100-run while batting at number 7 or lower.
Brilliant innings by Michael Bracewell. He scored 140 in just 78 balls with 12 fours and 10 sixes. Came to bat when New Zealand were 110/5.
One of the greatest knocks in a run chase, Take a bow 👏👏#INDvsNZ #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/QPYMrY1ENW
— CricketFans (@_fans_cricket) January 18, 2023
But the New Zealander fell just 10 runs short off his 150 while the Blackcaps fell short by just 12 runs to win the first match of the series. Although, India the match but the way the visitors intensified the chase shows there is still a lot of work to do in the bowling department.
Will India win the Series or will the Kiwis upset the hosts in the next 2 ODIs?
