Former India all-rounder R Ashwin heaped praise on New Zealand’s fighting spirit, insisting that he would love to be a fly on the wall during the Kiwis’ planning sessions for matches.
Despite holding only a fourth of the experience across departments, a second-string BlackCaps outfit handed India a scare in the first ODI in Vadodara last Sunday. Batting first, the Kiwis put on 300 on the board and nearly stopped India from crossing the line before KL Rahul’s unbeaten cameo took the side home in the 49th over.
In 2024, the Kiwis hammered India at home, handing them a landmark 0-3 whitewash defeat that marked the start of the Test team’s transition. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin highlighted New Zealand’s analytical approach and said, “A lot of the top teams aren’t very analytically driven. New Zealand is a very analytically driven side. I hope to sit down with them and observe their planning; I am even willing to pay money for it if needed. The way they execute their plans, I would pay to sit in their team meetings to understand how they go about it.”
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“We must give credit to New Zealand for the way they were ready to fight in the game. They didn’t stop till the end, and that’s why they were able to come back into the game. I also posted a tweet that New Zealand don’t have a lot of strength in their squad, in terms of man-to-man. But because of their discipline, fielding, and how they execute their plans well, they are able to fight and compete with some of the top teams,” remarked Ashwin.
The spin legend also said the Kiwis were the better side during the first ODI, although India were saved by the all-round exploits of Harshit Rana and batting maestro Virat Kohli whose stroke-filled 93 set up te chase.
“The most impressive was the New Zealand team. India didn’t play the best of cricket. There were pockets where Harshit Rana bowled really well and batted really well.
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“Another positive was Virat Kohli, what batting! His movements and footwork, he played a shot against Kristian Clarke, maybe, where he showed all three stumps. Kristian Clarke followed him, not allowing him enough space to open his hands, and he ended up hitting a four with a flick,” Ashwin observed.
