ICC World Cup, India vs New Zealand: Daryl Mitchell’s approach vs spin is a caution alert for India | Cricket News – Times of India

DHARAMSALA: When he finally got Tom Latham to misread the length on a skiddy delivery and play across the line, Kuldeep Yadav(10-0-73-2) must have heaved a sigh of relief. The delivery had everything Kuldeep’s recent success has been based on — it was quicker off the dual-paced pitch and had more revolutions on the ball, yet it led only to an exasperated yell of “come on” to the bowler from a frustrated Rohit Sharma.Kuldeep merely looked down and avoided his captain’s glare.
It hadn’t been a good day for the left-arm legbreak bowler on the unhelpful HPCA surface, but to his credit, he had come back well with a stronger return spell.

India’s pacers put in another quality bowling effort but the spinners were put under pressure in the middle overs, something the captain has been keen to leave in the past.

The dominating hosts have displayed very few chinks in their armour in this World Cup, so this should be an area of concern.

Centurion Daryl Mitchell (130 off 127 balls; 9×4, 5×6) — who resurrected New Zealand’s innings in the company of Rachin Ravindra (75 off 87) — showcased a bold, new approach against Kuldeep that nearly led to the unravelling of India’s leading middleovers wicket-taker in recent times.
The leggie has one 5-wicket haul and four 4-wicket hauls, three of them this year and one in 2022.
Kuldeep’s lack of initial effectiveness only revealed the extent of India’s dependence on the spinner’s newly-restored wicket-taking abilities. The return of Hardik Pandya will no doubt restore balance in the line-up but without Kuldeep forging breakthroughs in the middle, India look a different bowling unit.

Mitchell scored 42 runs off 26 balls from Kuldeep, including three sixes and two fours, the best from an individual batter against the bowler in an ODI.
The bowlers in general were not helped by the fact that India’s fielders were a bit wary of putting in their best effort on a sub-par Dharamshala outfield, but they also dropped three catches — Ravindra once and Mitchell twice — which cannot be blamed on the outfield.

The effective return of Mohammed Shami (5/54 off his 10 overs) and the sublime new-ball performance in the first Powerplay from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj warrants celebration. However, that New Zealand got out of a hole was owing to the 159-run partnership between Mitchell and Ravindra and their ability to take on Kuldeep right from the start.
Mitchell, who chose the bold option of disrupting the bowlers’ lengths by standing outside the crease, beginning with a back-foot hoick off Shami. But it was Kuldeep who was caught off-guard by the attacking approach.

The pacers, led by Shami, fashioned a late collapse as the Kiwis went from 243-5 to 273 all out. But Mitchell and Co. had just shown the other teams how to neutralise India’s wicket-taking spinners in the middle overs.

(AI image)