I would pay to sit in their team meetings

Former cricketer R Ashwin reserved high praise for New Zealand after the ODI series opener against India at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Sunday, January 11. The Blackcaps failed to defend a 301-run target in the clash as India completed a hard-fought four-wicket win.

While New Zealand ended up on the losing side, Ashwin lauded the side’s fighting performance. He also expressed his desire to be part of the team’s dressing room to understand how they plan things.

Suggesting that he was even ready to pay money to be part of New Zealand’s team meetings, the Indian spin legend said in his YouTube video:

“A lot of the top teams aren’t very analytically driven. New Zealand is a very analytically driven side. I hope to sit down with them and observe their planning; I am even willing to pay money for it if needed. The way they execute their plans, I would pay to sit in their team meetings to understand how they go about it.”

Pointing out New Zealand’s fighting spirit, the former cricketer added:

“We must give credit to New Zealand for the way they were ready to fight in the game. They didn’t stop till the end, and that’s why they were able to come back into the game. I also posted a tweet that New Zealand don’t have a lot of strength in their squad, in terms of man-to-man. But because of their discipline, fielding, and how they execute their plans well, they are able to fight and compete with some of the top teams.”

Virat Kohli’s stunning 93-run knock helped India overhaul the target in 49 overs. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer scored 56 off 71 and 49 off 47, respectively, while KL Rahul (29* off 21) and Harshit Rana (29 off 23) also chipped in with important cameos.

“India didn’t play the best of cricket” – R Ashwin on the Shubman Gill-led side’s performance in ODI series opener

R Ashwin feels India didn’t play to their full potential in the encounter. He mentioned that he was more impressed by New Zealand’s performance.

The 39-year-old said in the same video:

“The most impressive was the New Zealand team. India didn’t play the best of cricket. There were pockets where Harshit Rana bowled really well and batted really well.”

Ashwin highlighted how Virat Kohli looked in wonderful touch. He added that the former captain’s footwork and movements looked very fluent.

“Another positive was Virat Kohli, what batting! His movements and footwork, he played a shot against Kristian Clarke, maybe, where he showed all three stumps. Kristian Clarke followed him, not allowing him enough space to open his hands, and he ended up hitting a four with a flick,” Ashwin remarked.

The upcoming second ODI is a must-win one for New Zealand to keep the series alive. The match will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, on Wednesday, January 14.