IND vs NZ : KL Rahul powerful century India sets a tough target of 285 runs against New Zealand
Captain KL Rahul, the crisis solver, was ready to bat anytime, anywhere, and scored an unbeaten century, leading the Indian cricket team to score 284 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 50 overs in the second ODI against New Zealand. Setting a target of 285 runs for New Zealand to win, India has taken a strong position in the second match, leading the series 1-0. Besides KL's century, captain Shubman Gill scored a half-century, while other batsmen contributed with small and big innings. Now, New Zealand will have to register a big win to level the series.
New Zealand won the toss and forced India to bat. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made an excellent start with a partnership of 70 runs. However, New Zealand struck the first blow in the form of Rohit Sharma; Rohit scored 24 runs. Then, at regular intervals, India lost three wickets. Gill returned with 56, Shreyas Iyer with 8, and Virat Kohli with 23 runs. When India's score was 118 for 4 wickets, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja provided stability to the struggling innings. This pair made a partnership of 73 runs in 88 balls, but Jadeja returned with 27 runs off 44 balls with 1 four.
After Jadeja, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy provided solid support to KL. Partnering with Nitish for 57 runs, he scored 20 runs. Harshit Rana, who played an explosive innings of 29 runs in the first match, managed only 2 runs here. Finally, KL and Mohammed Siraj added 28 runs in 16 balls for the eighth wicket. KL scored an unbeaten 112 runs with 11 fours and 1 six in 92 balls, completing his eighth century in ODI career and second against New Zealand. Siraj scored 2 runs. For New Zealand, Christian Clarke took 3 wickets, while four others took 1 wicket each.
India leads 1-0 in this three-match series. If India wins the Rajkot ODI, they will win the series, while for New Zealand, this is a 'do or die' match. Cricket fans are eagerly anticipating this thrilling contest. How New Zealand's batting will perform will be clear after the result.