IND vs NZ: India's middle over struggles allow Kiwis to post big total

India's strong start in the 3rd ODI against New Zealand was quickly undone by a familiar issue - the inability to break partnerships in the middle overs which eventually saw the Kiwis posting 337/8 in their 50 overs.  Despite a fast start from the pacers, including early breakthroughs that reduced New Zealand to 5/2, the Indian bowlers were unable to maintain the pressure and exploit the middle phase of the innings. This lack of control during the middle overs has also been a recurring theme, as seen in the second ODI when India lost despite initially dominating.  Check IND vs NZ 3rd ODI LIVE SCORE UPDATES and full scorecard here

 

Early Breakthroughs But No Follow Through

 

India's pacers, led by Arshdeep Singh (replaced Prasidh Krishna in the 3rd ODI) and Harshit Rana, gave the team an early advantage by removing both of New Zealand's openers, Nicholls (golden duck) and Devon Conway (bowled out by a peach of a delivery from Rana) within the first two overs. At 5/2, the Indian bowlers had New Zealand on the back foot, and the crowd was buzzing with the possibility of a swift collapse.

 

However, the Indian bowlers could not sustain the momentum, allowing Daryll Mitchell and Glenn Phillips to build a crucial partnership. While the pacers initially set the tone, they were unable to break through in the middle overs, which ultimately handed New Zealand a chance to recover. 

 

The Mitchell-Phillips Partnership

 

Daryll Mitchell, who was in exceptional form, went on to score his 9th ODI century in just 107 balls, supported well by Glenn Phillips, who also reached his second ODI hundred in 83 deliveries. The duo shared a mammoth 219-run partnership, a stand that propelled New Zealand back into a position of strength. This was also the first time that two New Zealand batters scored a hundred each in ODIs against India.   The lack of wickets from India's spinners, especially Kuldeep Yadav meant that the Kiwis could steadily build their innings without facing much pressure. India’s inability to exploit the middle overs with spin or pace bowling was once again a key factor in their failure to break the partnership.

 

The Second ODI: A Similar Pattern of Ineffective Middle Overs

 

This issue is not new for India. In the second ODI of the series, India had a similar problem. After an early breakthrough, the spinners and pacers failed to control the middle phase, allowing New Zealand to chase down the 285-run target. 

 

This problem came back to haunt India again in the third ODI as they struggled to put pressure on Mitchell and Phillips, the same duo that won the 2nd ODI for the Kiwis. With no wickets falling in the middle overs, New Zealand had enough time to regroup and accelerate their innings in the final stages, which proved to be crucial in their chase that levelled the series to 1-1.

 

While the middle overs seemed to be a problem, the bowlers restrict the run flow at the back end of the innings with Kuldeep Yadav picking one for himself while Arshdeep and Harshit ended up with a 3-fer each. Siraj too picked one for himself.