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A confident New Zealand side is set to take on an unflappable India side in the second One Day International (ODI) in Pune on Wednesday. While India hopes to keep the series alive on Wednesday with a victory, the Kiwis will enter the field eyeing a series win.
On Sunday, the Black Caps took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after beating the Men in Blue by six wickets and an over to spare. Skipper Virat Kohli's 121 helped India scored 280 for the loss of eight wickets, in spite of the home team losing wickets periodically.
In reply, New Zealand lost their first three batsmen for a score of 80. However, a 200-run partnership between Tom Latham and Ross Taylor sealed the match for the visitors. Taylor scored 95 and Latham scored an unbeaten 103.
The Black Caps' win can be credited to their all-round performance at Wankhede on Sunday. New Zealand will look for a similar show in Pune to help them clinch their first bilateral ODI series in India.
Top performers to watch out for
Ross Taylor
The former Kiwi captain had scored 34 and 102 in the two practice matches against the Indian Board President's XI in Mumbai, days before the first ODI.
On Sunday, he pushed his resolve further by scoring a 95 and contributing to the 200-run match winning partnership.
Tom Latham
The 25-year-old Christchurch resident has been in top form. Latham scored 59 and 108 in the two practice matches and then when to score his fourth ODI century on Sunday. His previous three ODI scores before this tour are 54, 104 and 84.
Trent Boult
The Rotorua pacer may not have had a great Champions Trophy earlier this year, but is steadily upping the ante in India.
Boult started with a 5-38 figure in the first practice match and then settled for 1-11 bowling figure in the second practice game after bowling only four overs.
On Sunday, Boult ended with bowling figures of 4-35. He bagged India's opening pair early and then picked MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya when both looked dangerous.
Virat Kohli
The Indian captain has scored 631 ODI runs in the last two months. This includes three centuries, a ninety-plus score and a half-century.
The Indian captain, who turns 29 in less than a fortnight, scored his 31st ODI century on Sunday. He is now the second highest ODI centurion. With 8,888 runs in the format so far, Kohli averages 55.55.
Kohli played a calm knock on Sunday which lasted for 203 minutes. Yet, he scored at a strike rate of 96.
What to expect
The Pune pitch drew flack in February this year and was deemed 'poor' by the match referee for the Test between India and Australia.
No rainfall is forecasted for Wednesday in Pune. However, the wind speed is expected to steadily climb up around the time the match starts in the afternoon.
New Zealand looked calm on Sunday and now with a 1-0 lead, the visitors will determined to seal the series. India on the other hand would not want to panic. They would be hoping to win the match and take it to the decider in Kanpur on Sunday.
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