IND vs NZ, 2nd ODI: Rohit's long wait for toss decision has fans laughing as Raipur makes international debut
IND vs NZ 2022-23: India and New Zealand are taking on each other in the second Raipur ODI, as the venue is the 50th to host an ODI in the country. While Rohit Sharma opted to chase, he took too long to decide, sending fans into laughter.
FollowTeam India will be looking to script another success as it takes on New Zealand in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Saturday. The hosts already possess a 1-0 lead in the three-contest series after winning the opening match in Hyderabad by 12 runs. It is the first international game at this venue, as it has become the 50th ground in the country to host an international ODI. Meanwhile, during the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma took too long to decide what to do, eventually opting to field first, as NZ captain Tom Latham and match referee Javagal Srinath all shared a laugh with him. At the same time, fans too trolled him on social media.
After winning the toss, Rohit said, "I forgot what we wanted to do, had plenty of discussions with the team about the toss decision, just wanted to challenge ourselves under difficult conditions, but we'll bowl first. Was a good test for us [in Hyderabad], knowing that the wicket would get better to bat on, and that was the challenge in front of us."
"Bracewell batted well, but we bowled well in the end and won the game. There was a bit of dew during the practice sessions, but we've heard from the curator that it will not play a role on game days. We batted first in Hyderabad. We wanted to bowl first here. We are playing the same team," added Rohit.
Meanwhile, Latham noted, "We would have bowled first as well, 1st international game here, so not sure how this wicket will play. Great last game, executed well in the bat and hoping to do the same here. Looking to take back the experience, it's important to win games, but the experience of playing in these conditions will also be handy. Ish [Sodhi] hasn't still pulled up well, so we're playing the same team."
As for the pitch, Murali Kartik and Grant Elliot observed, "It has enormous boundaries on all sides of the ground. The track has an even covering of grass and some cracks on it. It's hard. There is some bounce on offer, and it should help the pacers. Dew could be a factor, and the captain winning the toss could choose to field first. It is an excellent batting surface, though."
Playing XI
IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
NZ: Finn Allen (wk), Devon Conway (wk), Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips (wk), Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner.
