IND vs NZ 2nd ODI: The second ODI between India and New Zealand ended in a no result as rain played spoilsport in Hamilton. The match saw only 12.5 overs being bowled before the captains shook hands with each other at Seddon Park, Hamilton. But before the action began, both the teams made changes to their playing XI. One big change which raised the eyebrows of many people was the decision to drop wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson.
The Indian team made two changes to the Playing XI. Deepak Chahar was brought in for Shardul Thakur while Deepak Hooda was roped in for Samson. The decision was criticised by many experts but the stand-in Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan has opened up on the move.
Speaking in the post-match press conference Dhawan said, "We wanted a sixth bowling option to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out and Hooda replaced him. And Chahar was picked as he can swing the ball really well. A few of our guys are resting but this team is still strong, it shows the depth of our squad."
Dhawan also reflected on the game. "Weather is not in our control, you just have to wait. We were waiting to get the game started, but can’t help it. Now looking forward to the 3rd ODI. I was quite surprised with the pitch, I thought it would be seaming quite a bit, but it wasn’t as much as in the first match. It was good to bat on and to see Shubman perform this way was very encouraging," Dhawan stated.
Glad to see Shubman Gill and Umran Malik doing well
Shikhar Dhawan also opened up on captaining the side and the performance of Gill and Umran in the current series. "Very exciting, makes me feel so young (laughs). But seriously this is a good chance for the guys travelling so far. To see the way Shubman has batted and Umran has bowled, glad to see that transition," the Southpaw added.
The Indian team will now play in the third ODI in Christchurch on 30th November.
