HYDERABAD: Shubman Gill scored a brilliant 208 as India held on to beat New Zealand by 12 runs in the first One-day International in Hyderabad on Wednesday despite a blistering century from Michael Bracewell.

India looked to be coasting to victory with New Zealand in deep trouble at 131-6 while chasing 350 after opener Gill made just the 10th double hundred in ODI history.

All-rounder Bracewell responded by making 140 off 78 balls before falling in the final over when he was pinned leg before wicket by Shardul Thakur.

Disciplined early spells by India fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj restricted New Zealand before Bracewell’s late fireworks gave them hope of a sensational win.

Finn Allen struck a breezy 40 at the top of the order but New Zealand were facing a heavy defeat once Siraj removed Tom Latham for the sixth wicket.

Bracewell was then joined by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who hit 57 of 45 balls as part of an impressive 162-run partnership before falling to Siraj.

Bracewell produced a batting masterclass, smacking 12 fours and 10 sixes, as he kept the visitors in the contest and took the game until the final over, where he was the last player to be sent packing as they were bowled out with four balls to spare.

Siraj was the pick of the bowlers with 4-46 while Kuldeep Yadav and Thakur also bagged two wickets each.

Earlier, the 23-year-old Gill helped India post a formidable total of 349-8 after an innings spanning 149 balls and featuring 19 fours and nine sixes.

Apart from Gill, the rest of India’s batting order struggled to add runs, with captain Rohit Sharma making the second-highest contribution with 34 before he was the first man out and big-hitting Virat Kohli soon followed for just eight after he was bowled by Santner.

Lockie Ferguson also removed Ishan Kishan cheaply but Gill received support from Suryakumar Yadav (31) and Hardik Pandya (28) before holing out to deep mid-wicket in the final over.

The second ODI will be in Raipur on Saturday followed by the third game in Indore on Tuesday. The teams are due to play three Twenty20 internationals after the ODI series.

Scoreboard

INDIA:

R. Sharma c Mitchell b Tickner 34

S. Gill c Phillips b Shipley 208

V. Kohli b Santner 8

I. Kishan c Latham b Ferguson 5

S. Yadav c Santner b Mitchell 31

H. Pandya b Mitchell 28

W. Sundar lbw b Shipley 12

S. Thakur run out 3

K. Yadav not out 5

M. Shami not out 2

EXTRAS (W-13) 13

TOTAL (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 349

DID NOT BAT: M. Siraj

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-60 (Sharma), 2-88 (Kohli), 3-110 (Kishan), 4-175 (Yadav), 5-249 (Pandya), 6-292 (Sundar), 7-302 (Thakur), 8-345 (Gill)

BOWLING: Shipley 9-0-74-2 (5w), Ferguson 10-0-77-1, Tickner 10-0-69-1 (4w), Santner 10-0-56-1 (1w), Bracewell 6-0-43-0, Mitchell 5-0-30-2 (1w)

NEW ZEALAND:

F. Allen c (sub) b Thakur 40

D. Conway c K. Yadav b Siraj 10

H. Nicholls b K. Yadav 18

D. Mitchell lbw b K. Yadav 9

T. Latham c Sundar b Siraj 24

G. Phillips b Shami 11

M. Bracewell lbw b Thakur 140

M. Santner c S. Yadav b Siraj 57

H. Shipley b Siraj 0

L. Ferguson c Gill b Pandya 8

B. Tickner not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-14) 19

TOTAL (all out, 49.2 overs) 337

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-28 (Conway), 2-70 (Allen), 3-78 (Nicholls), 4-89 (Mitchell), 5-110 (Phillips), 6-131 (Latham), 7-293 (Santner), 8-294 (Shipley), 9-328 (Ferguson)

BOWLING: Shami 10-1-69-1, Siraj 10-2-46-4 (4w), Pandya 7-0-70-1 (3w), K. Yadav 8-1-43-2, Thakur 7.2-0-54-2 (7w), Sundar 7-0-50-0.

RESULT: India won by 12 runs.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023