Auckland [New Zealand], November 4 (ANI): New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted that his side failed to adapt quickly enough to the bounce at Eden Park after India secured a five-wicket victory in the rain-curtailed first ODI of the five-match series on Wednesday.
Santner said the pitch offered more bounce and pace than the hosts had anticipated, while crediting India's bowlers for making effective use of the conditions to dismiss New Zealand for 185.
"Yeah, I think the pitch probably bounced, and it was probably a little bit faster than we kind of expected at Eden Park. I think we just probably didn't adapt as quickly as we could. And with some good bowling from India as well," Santner said during the post-match press conference.
Explaining the challenge of dealing with the bounce at the venue, the New Zealand skipper said India's batters and bowlers adapted better, particularly when handling the shorter deliveries.
"I think when you try to fight the bounce at Eden Park, it can be quite hard. I think the way they kind of used it a little bit more, and Shreyas was trying to go more fine with the shorter balls. And yeah, obviously bounced a lot, and after the rain it kind of skidded on nicely. So yeah, a few short balls out there," he added.
Despite New Zealand's batting struggles, Santner was pleased with the way his bowling unit fought back after India made a strong start to the chase. He credited the fast bowlers for continuing to compete rather than allowing the visitors to run away with the game.
"Yeah, very happy. It was easy for us to kind of roll over there after the start they got. So credit to the fast bowlers to keep backing it up. I think we found some good stuff at the end of the game there and we can kind of go on to Wellington," he said.
Earlier, India bowled out New Zealand for 185 after winning the toss and opting to field. Arshdeep Singh led the attack with four wickets, while Gurnoor Brar claimed three and Anshul Kamboj picked up two.
Tim Seifert top-scored for the hosts with 38 off 43 balls, while Glenn Phillips made 30 off 51 deliveries. Blair Tickner provided a late push with a counterattacking 34 off just 23 balls, including four sixes, as New Zealand recovered from a collapse to reach 185.
India's chase was interrupted by rain, with the target revised to 143 in 32 overs. Virat Kohli led the pursuit with an authoritative 74 off 51 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six, while Shubman Gill contributed 56 off 37 deliveries.
Kohli and Gill put India in control before New Zealand fought back through Jacob Duffy, who dismissed Kohli and Axar Patel in the same over. However, KL Rahul and Naman Dhir stayed unbeaten to take India home with five wickets to spare.
The second ODI of the series will be played in Wellington on Saturday. (ANI)
‘We didn’t adapt as quickly as we could’: Santner on New Zealand’s defeat to India in Auckland ODI
