New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on Wednesday said his team delivered at “key times” under pressure during their 15-run victory against India in the second cricket one-dayer here to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
It was again the near-perfect game for the Black Caps where they built on a solid platform provided by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor in the middle-order, and then Corey Anderson launched an all-out assault at the death. New Zealand followed it up with a disciplined performance with the ball, getting key wickets when it mattered the most. “I thought under pressure, against a very good Indian batting line-up, we delivered at key times. It’s big from a confidence point of view. We have just got to challenge now to put it together again in a few days’ time,” McCullum said at the post-match press conference.
McCullum praised his batsmen for setting up the win with a competitve total against a packed Indian batting line-up.
“I am really pleased with the way we constructed our innings again. It was mainly through the partnership of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. Martin Guptill played his hand as well and again they gave us the platform from where to launch in the death overs. And whilst the game was shortened, we were still in a nice position to do so. The batting blueprint was again executed tonight, which was encouraging obviously,” he said.
Indian-origin youngster wins $1 lakh catching prize
An Indian-origin youngster on Wednesday won $100,000 prize for catching a huge six from all-rounder Corey Anderson during India’s second ODI against New Zealand here. The 23-year-old Jatinder Singh from Te Aroha, a small town near Hamilton, held the ball after Anderson smashed paceman Ishant Sharma late in the first innings at Seddon Park. The promotion requires one to purchase a Tui t-shirt and lanyard and take a clean one-handed catch during any of the international limited overs matches this summer, with the first person to do so at each game winning the money. Singh was the second winner of the competition, following Hamilton’s Michael Morton in the fifth ODI against the West Indies.