Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers as India thrashed New Zealand in the second match of their three-match series. Shami made the ball talk on a Raipur pitch that had a lot to offer to the bowlers. He took three wickets and formed a dangerous bowling partnership with Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand was reduced to 15/5 at one point due to the strength of the Indian bowlers. The Blackcaps battled back to post a 108-run total, which the Indians chased down in 20.1 overs. With the victory, India has taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the three-match series against New Zealand.
Aapko itne acche results diye hai 4-6 saalo mei: Mohammed Shami
After the game, Shami was asked at a press conference if Team India was on the right track in terms of preparing for the ODI World Cup, which will be held in India later this year.
Shami replied: “Dekhiye, mujhe nahi lagta logo ko abhi tak doubt hai Indian team ke upar. Aapko itne acche results diye hai 4-6 saalo mei. Agar uske baad bhi aapko doubt hai, ya aap World Cup ke liye sochte hai…bahut lamba time hai. Toh humare pass bahut series hai, practice karne ke liye, match khelne ke liye. Aur players ko jaan ne ke liye. Toh abhi humare pass time hai toh behetar hoga ki hum match-to-match jaaye.
(See, I don’t think people have doubts about the Indian team. We have been giving good results in the past 4-6 years. If still have any doubts, we have a lot of time left for the World Cup. We have many series for match practice, we have more time to know the players. We have time so it’s better to take it match-to-match).”
Shami (3/18) and Mohammed Siraj (1/10), with their high-quality seam bowling, made life difficult for the batters, reducing New Zealand to a dismal 15 for five after Rohit chose to bowl. The odd ball stopping made the job of the New Zealand batters more difficult, but the Indian openers made batting look easy in the evening.
