Gill rues lack of wickets in middle overs, missed chances after NZ level ODI series in Rajkot: ‘Becomes very difficult'

Shubman Gill rued India’s inability to strike in the middle overs due to ordinary bowling as well as missed chances after New Zealand leveled the three-match ODI series 1-1 with a clinical seven-wicket victory in Rajkot on Wednesday.

The Men in Blue were off to a winning start in the series opener at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium on Sunday, but failed to defend a target of 285 three days later at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 131 overshadowed KL Rahul’s 112 not out as the Black Caps chased down the target with 15 deliveries to spare, setting up a series decider on Sunday.

“We couldn’t pick up any wickets in the middle overs. With five fielders in, if you don’t keep taking wickets in the middle overs, it becomes very difficult even if we would have added 15-20 more runs. And if you don’t pick up wickets in the middle overs, it’s very difficult to stop a target,” Gill said during the post-match presentation ceremony after the defeat.

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“On these kind of wickets, as soon as you have a partnership, the set batsman has to make it big because it’s not easy for the batsman coming in to score freely. In the end, we did get a decent target on the board and we bowled exceptionally well in the first 10 overs. And the kind of start that we got in the bowling, we were trying to squeeze them down, put them under pressure, but I think they batted really well in the middle overs,” he added.

‘We could have been a little bit more brave’

Gill, who brought up a second consecutive half-century on Wednesday, added that while the wicket did settle a bit under the lights compared to how it was when the hosts were batting, the bowlers could have been “a little bit more brave” in the middle overs and taken more chances.

Mitchell, after all, had walked in at a time when the Black Caps were struggling to collect runs, having brought up the team fifty in the 14th over after losing both openers. The all-rounder, who had scored a 71-ball 84 in Vadodara, steadied the ship in the company of Will Young (87) with the two focused on absorbing pressure initially.

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“In the first 10-15 overs that we bowled, the ball was doing a little bit. But I think after the 20-25 overs, the wicket maybe settled in a little bit, but I think we could have been a little bit more brave while bowling in the middle overs. We could have taken a little bit more chances.

“Even in the last match, we let down a couple of chances. It’s one thing that, we are always, especially with this team, we are always trying to get better at fielding. It’s one aspect that we’re always trying to get better at. And yes, if you don’t take your chances, in this format, it always makes you lose,” Gill added.

Black Caps’ series hopes still alive

It was when Mitchell smashed Kuldeep Yadav for a six and a four in the left-arm wrist spinner’s first over of the evening that the tide turned in favour of the Michael Bracewell-led side, who did not look back thereafter.

Mitchell forged a mammoth 162-run partnership for the third wicket that put the visitors in the driver’s seat, which was followed by an unbroken 78-run stand with Glenn Phillips (32 not out) that ultimately sealed the deal.

Indore’s Holkar Stadium hosts the series decider on Sunday. Having registered their maiden Test series victory in India in October 2024 with a stunning 3-0 sweep, the Black Caps – who are without several key players for the one-day leg of the tour – will be hoping to pull off their first-ever ODI series win in this part of the world.