Tom Latham (145* off 104 balls) and Kane Williamson’s (94* off 98 balls) stunning partnership (221 runs) ensured New Zealand a dominant victory against Team India in the first ODI. Latham scored a blistering century while Kane anchored the chase and remained six runs away from scoring a ton. But he will be a happy man as his team won by 7 wickets.
While batting first, India got a fabulous start from its openers Shikhar Dhawan (72) and Shubman Gill (50). They made a partnership of 124 runs for the first wicket. But once they got out, India was in trouble. All of a sudden, India’s score was 16/4. That’s when Shreyas Iyer (80) and Sanju Samson (36) made a partnership of 94 runs and settled the innings. Washington Sundar’s blistering cameo (37* off 16 balls), in the end, helped India in scoring 306/7 in 50 overs. Tim Southee (3/73) and Lockie Ferguson (3/59) took three wickets each.
New Zealand needed big partnerships while chasing this comprehensive total. Openers Fin Allen and Devon Conway failed to give it as Shardul Thakur sent back Allen to the pavilion in the 8th over. Debutant Umran Malik (2/66) dismissed Devon Conway and Daryll Mitchell within no time. As a result, the Kiwis were in trouble with a score of 88/3. That’s when Tom Latham came into the crease and gave support to Kane Williamson. Both of them took their time to settle in the cease and have focused on building a partnership. While Kane anchored the chase, Latham took up the business of slogging. Their unbeaten partnership of 221 runs helped New Zealand in scoring 309/3 in 47.1 overs. The second ODI will be held in Hamilton on November 27.