India beat New Zealand by eight wickets in the first ODI at Napier on Wednesday. New Zealand were bundled out for 157 in 38 overs, before India coasted home in the 35th over. Shikhar Dhawan was the top scorer with an unbeaten 75.
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On a high after a defining tour of Australia, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team faces a trickier challenge when it locks horns with an ever-so-sprightly New Zealand in a five-match ODI series starting on Wednesday.
The Indian team, which has shifted its focus entirely on World Cup preparations, is still searching for the right middle-order combination despite their first-ever bilateral ODI series win on Australian soil.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s hat-trick of half-centuries has brought joy to the dressing room but the smaller grounds in New Zealand against a better seam attack comprising the wily Trent Boult, the talented Lockie Ferguson and the relentless Tim Southee will be a different test altogether for India.
