TOM & TAYLOR MADE VICTORY FOR KIWIS
The partnership between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor was the 6th-highest for any New Zealand pair in ODIs and their best against India. The chase of 281 (284 for 4) in 49 overs was also the highest at Wankhede stadium, eclipsing India's world cup winning 27
Moved to the middle order precisely for his prowess against spin, Tom Latham justified the decision with his fourth ODI hundred that took New Zealand home in a canter in the first ODI against India. Latham, who remained unbeaten on 103, smashed the opposition bowlers all over the park to notch up eight boundaries and two sixes in his 102-ball innings.
He was ably supported by Ross Taylor (95) with whom the diminutive left-hander shared a 200-run stand, that also meant that Virat Kohli's 31st hundred, to surpass Ricky Ponting went in vain. This was the sixth-highest partnership for any New Zealand pair in ODIs and their best against India. The chase of 281 (284 for 4) in 49 overs was also the highest at the Wankhede stadium, eclipsing India's world cup winning 275 in 2011.
New Zealand have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
On an uncharacteristically slow pitch at the Wankhede, New Zealand started well with an opening stand of 48, before losing ground as three fell in quick succession. That brought to the crease the pair of Taylor and Latham who stitched together a chanceless partnership that took New Zealand within one run of their target, before Taylor was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 95.
Earlier, Virat Kohli went against conventional wisdom and opted to bat on a pitch notorious for getting better in the second innings. The decision came under immediate scrutiny, especially as Trent Boult dislodged the openers (Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan) cheaply. Carrying his form from the warm-ups, Boult's 4 for 34 that also included the scalps of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya later in the innings, were his best till date in India. Seemingly infallible against Sri Lanka and Australia, India's batsmen have now appeared conspicuously susceptible against left-arm pace for the second time in succession, after Australia's Jason Behrendorff exposed the chink in Guwahati.
India recovered from the early jitters primarily through Kohli's efforts. Thirty hundreds in 199 matches had meant that after a slew of double figure scores against Australia, Kohli was due a big one. Besides the law of averages, another key component for success was in his favour - luck. He was dropped by Mitchell Santner on 29 and survived anxious moments on the cusp of the milestone, as an inside edge narrowly eluded his legstump, unlike in Kolkata. While the absence of fluency was unusual, the standard of fitness displayed was hitherto unprecedented, in excruciatingly humid Mumbai.
He had a semblance of support from Dinesh Karthik, who was replacing Manish Pandey in the playing eleven. Karthik chipped in with an attractive 37 before top-edging an attempted hook shot off Tim Southee to long-leg. A cameo of 26 from Bhuvneshwar Kumar propelled India to 280 for eight in fifty overs, but much like Kohli's 121, it went in vain.