India scripted a massive win in the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand on October 29, defeating the Black Caps by 190 runs to clinch the five-match series as well. The pitch in Vizag was not an easy surface for the batsmen to score runs, but Indian batsmen showed their class to help the home team reach 269 runs.
Rohit Sharma, who was below par in the first four matches, looked solid, top-scoring with 70 runs. Some of the Indian batsmen had already played in Vizag during the IPL, and the right-hander believes this experience came in handy for the home team batsmen.
"We have played some IPL games here, so I understand the type of shots you can play on this wicket. The shot selection was important and as a batting group we read that very well," BCCI's official website quoted Rohit as saying.
"We understood what we needed to do as a batting group. We spoke about it last night when we had a meeting. We spoke about how we would tackle it. Building small partnerships was important. Everyone chipped in and in the end, the partnership between Kedar Jadhav and Axar Patel was crucial to get us to that mark. The wicket wasn't easy and one had to grind it out and keep the scoreboard ticking."
Besides Rohit, Dhoni and Kohli also played an important hand in helping India come with a solid target of 270 runs for New Zealand to win. Kohli looked in firm control of things as he scored 65 runs from 76 balls, which included two fours and one six, reflecting his dependence on singles and twos as well. Dhoni scored 41 runs.
However, it was the start, which Rohit provided, giving India a solid platform for the rest of the batsmen to score runs, that proved to be a major factor. He was quite stunning in his 70-run innings, where he hit five fours and three sixes.
After scoring 269 runs, the India bowlers did a splendid job. Amit Mishra was the pick of the bowlers, picking up five wickets, and New Zealand were bundled out for a paltry 79 runs.
