India vs New Zealand 2019: Trent Boult destroys India at Hamilton to join elite list of left-arm pacers
India vs New Zealand: The frailty of India’s top order against left-arm pacers with the ability to swing the ball is well known, hello to those who are still wondering and haven’t heard of names like Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Amir, and that was on display yet again.
New Zealand pace spreahead Trent Boult made the world sit up and take notice of his prowess with a white ball in hand during the 2015 ICC World Cup at home, when his five-wicket haul flattened the Aussies in a group match. Since then, the left-arm pacer has given ample proof of being a destructive force in ODIs whenever he has had conditions conducive to swing bowling.
So the stage was set for him when captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first in conditions where the ball was doing a fair bit in the air and off the pitch at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. The frailty of India’s top order against left-arm pacers with the ability to swing the ball is well known, hello to those who are still wondering and haven’t heard of names like Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Amir, and that was on display yet again.
Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan it seemed were ready to wear the initial storm out but Boult soon broke the back of India’s top order when he removed the experienced duo in back to back overs within 2 runs of each other.
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He then took out debutant Shubman Gill and India were already in a hole. Boult was not done as he came back to remove the dangerous duo of Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya and registered figures of 5/21.
This is the fourth best bowling performance by a left-arm pacer against India in ODIs. Mitchell Starc and Mustafizur Rahman occupy the joint top spot with identical figures of 6/43 while Sri Lankan World Cup winner Chaminda Vaas comes in next at 5/14.
More than the loss, it was the manner in which the Kiwis bundled India out for a paltry 92 that has once again raised questions over the form of the Indian middle-order. Not tested often due to the form of the top-orders, the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav failed to rise to the challenge at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.
“One of our worst performances with the bat for a long time. Something we didn’t expect. You got to give credit to the NZ bowlers. It was a magnificent effort. Something to learn for us,” stand-in captain Rohit Sharma said after the game.
