On Wednesday, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the necessity for the Indian cricket team to rekindle the intimidation factor that once made touring India a daunting prospect for opponents. This comes on the heels of New Zealand’s impressive seven-wicket victory in the second ODI. “We’re constantly aiming to win every match while balancing the team’s medium to long-term goals. However, we must certainly work on re-establishing that fear in visiting teams when they face India,” Ten Doeschate expressed during the post-match conference.
This marks the second consecutive series where India finds itself in a decisive third ODI, having previously triumphed against South Africa in similar circumstances. Ten Doeschate noted the team’s management will closely analyze the performance of their spinners, who fell short against their New Zealand counterparts on a sluggish pitch.
“We believed that a target of 290 was appropriate, anticipating the pitch would become more challenging as the game progressed. We were comfortable bowling second,” Ten Doeschate explained. “However, we certainly need to improve our bowling performance, particularly the lengths bowled by our spinners. We’ll review those specifics more thoroughly.”
He also addressed all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inconsistent performance, stating that despite being given opportunities, Reddy hasn’t capitalized on them, scoring only 20 runs and failing to take a wicket in two overs.
Interestingly, the last time teams chased successfully in Rajkot during ODIs was when New Zealand pursued a 285-run target against India; prior to that, the first batting team had won the previous four contests.
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