"Dug a Hole and Fell Into It": Atul Wassan on India's Wellington Win
Former cricketer Atul Wassan claims New Zealand's pitch strategy backfired as India takes a 2-0 lead in the ODI series.
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has delivered a scathing assessment of New Zealand's tactical approach following India's narrow victory in the second ODI in Wellington. India has now secured a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, leaving the hosts struggling to find answers to the visitors' dominance.
A Strategy That Backfired
The second ODI was a rain-curtailed affair that saw India emerge victorious by four runs via the DLS method. While the win was slim, the narrative surrounding the match centered on the nature of the pitch. Wassan pointed out that New Zealand's deliberate attempt to create pace-friendly conditions ended up aiding the Indian side.
According to Wassan, the hosts essentially trapped themselves with their own planning. “The policy is clear: New Zealand is going to give pitches like this only. But they dug a hole, and they fell into it, because Indian bowlers are also exploiting it,” Wassan told ANI.
He emphasized that the modern Indian bowling attack is no longer intimidated by overseas conditions, possessing the necessary pace, bounce, and "X-factor" to turn the tables on any opponent, regardless of the venue.
The Match Breakdown
The game saw a dominant bowling performance from India, led by Gurnoor Brar, who claimed a career-best 4/30. His spell helped dismantle the New Zealand batting lineup, bowling them out for a meager 134 runs in 41 overs.
However, the chase proved to be a nerve-wracking experience for the visitors. India struggled to maintain momentum, slipping to 113/7 in 26 overs before rain halted play. Fortunately for India, they were four runs ahead of the DLS par score at the time of the interruption, sealing the win. The New Zealand bowlers, Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy, had put up a fight, taking three wickets each.
Concerns Over Quality of Cricket
Despite the victory, Wassan noted that the win was not as convincing as it should have been, suggesting that the extreme nature of the wicket impacted the flow of the game. He urged the New Zealand Cricket Board to rethink their strategy of heavily skewing pitch conditions.
Wassan warned that such tactics could diminish the overall quality of the sport, stating, “I request the New Zealand board not to skew the conditions so much that the quality of cricket goes down, and then we just see either them winning easily or us losing easily.”
Looking Ahead to the World Cup
With New Zealand having already lost the T20 series and now facing a 2-0 deficit in the ODI series, Wassan reminded the hosts that the environment of the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa will be vastly different. He suggested that relying on specific home-court pitch advantages would not serve them well in a global tournament where conditions vary significantly.