India vs New Zealand, Virat Kohli, Player of the Match

 This first ODI was a thrilling affair, with a high target and a change of innings, where India ultimately won the match without losing the ball. 

Virat Kohli  Player of the Match : 

Honestly, I have no idea. I just sent the trophies to my mother in Gurgaon - she loves to keep them. (Regarding becoming the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket) Looking back on my entire journey, it is nothing short of a dream come true. I always knew about my capabilities, but I also knew that I had to work extremely hard to get to where I am today. God has given me so much more than I could have asked for. I look back on my journey with great gratitude and humility, and I am truly proud of it. (Was he thinking about his 54th century?) If I'm completely honest, the way I'm playing now, I'm not thinking about milestones at all. If we had batted first, maybe I would have played more aggressively. But while chasing runs, with a fixed score on the board, I had to play according to the situation. I wanted to hit more boundaries, but the experience came in handy.  Any ball can take your wicket, so there's no point in being inactive. At the same time, you won't play reckless shots - you'll focus on your areas of strength. Today, when I came on the field after Rohit got out, I felt that if I played aggressively in the first 20 balls, we could put the opposition under pressure.   That's what made the difference in the end. (When he comes out to bat and the crowd cheers) It's different in every match, I'm aware of that, and to be honest, I don't like it. I've seen the same thing happen with MS. It's not a very good feeling for a player who's going back. I understand the excitement of the audience, but I try to focus on what I have to do and not think too much about it. I am very grateful. Honestly, it's a blessing. What more could you ask for than to be able to bring so much joy to so many people by doing what you love - the sport you've loved since childhood? I am making my dreams a reality, and I am happy when I see people smile.

Shubman Gill: 

Of course, it feels great to be able to contribute while chasing runs. The most important thing is to stay focused in the moment. As an athlete, you have to focus on what's ahead and what the situation demands at that moment - that's what helps you handle both success and disappointment, and that's what I try to do. The way he (Kohli) is bowling at the moment, everything seems so easy, even on a wicket where it wasn't easy to start; he made it look easy. Speaking of rotation, Arshdeep did well in the last series, and Siraj was not part of that series. So we want to give everyone a chance as we head towards the World Cup, especially when there aren't many ODI matches ahead. He (Washington) will go for a scan, so we will know more details once that is done.

Michael Bracewell:

We can be proud of our effort. We kept the world number one team under pressure until the last over of the match, which is always satisfying. Of course, there are some areas we would like to improve, and if we could have scored 20 or 30 more runs, that means we could have gone closer to 320 or 330 runs - then the game could have been completely different.  I would like him (Jamison) to come back from injury and bowl 15 overs. Seeing the way he bowled today is a big positive for us. He (Mitchell) has been doing this for a long time. If we could have added a few more runs towards the end, then we could really make the match more competitive. We talk a lot about creating game-changing moments, and although we did some things well today, there were one or two opportunities that we will regret later. Playing under floodlights on Indian soil is never easy, but we have set very high standards for ourselves, and we will continue to strive for that goal.

Torch decisions and plans: 

• Suman Giri decided to bowl first after winning ten overs, as the post could be after noon, and chasing the target could be a challenge.
• This decision later proved to be right as India chased down the runs and won till the last over.

New Zealand's innings(300/8)

New Zealand's innings were at a high level, and their dynamic opening and batting showed that they were able to score strong runs early on.

Highlights batsmen from New Zealand:

• Daryl Mitchell: - 84 Run (74 Ball) His innings was aggressive but patient, which helped him reach big runs. 
• Henry Nicholls: 62 Run (69 Ball) The opening pair played a stable role. But they played very well in today's match. 
• Devon Conway: played as an opening batsman for New Zealand and scored 56 runs off 67 balls. He batted very well today as an opera batsman. In the end, he was bowled by Harshit Rana went to the dressing room.
• Other batsmen added runs occasionally, such as Green Phillips and Michael. Although they could not score big innings, they still scored a very nice run. 

Analysis: 

New Zealand started the opening duty very well in the first over, although there were some occasional falls from the batting line-up, big partnerships were evident in New Zealand's innings. New Zealand was behind in the batting, regular run restraint, and ability to stop pressure.

India innings 300/6

India's target was 301, which was not easy, but their batting line-up was experienced enough.

• Virat Kohli: 93 runs in 91 balls - Virat Kohli was more responsible and played a crucial role in resolving the match. 
• Shubman Gill:  scored 56 runs in 71 balls. The opening partnership starts well, and the runs are balanced.
• Kl Rahul: scored 29 runs off 21 balls and played a role in helping the team win towards the end.

Innings sequence: 

The early innings were dominated by Kohli and Ram, who gradually increased the pressure and added runs to take India to victory. Towards the end, Rahul plays quickly and enables the match to take the lead.