Late starts affect New Zealand's ability to defend totals, says Duffy
Fast bowler Jacob Duffy attributed the hosts' struggle to defend targets during the India tour to late match starts and moisture.
New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy said late starts have been a factor in his team's difficulty defending totals during the ongoing home tour against India. According to ANI, the hosts lost the first ODI at Eden Park by five wickets after being bowled out for 185.
India chased a revised target of 143 in 32 overs following rain interruptions. This marked the fourth instance in five tour matches where New Zealand failed to protect a total. While the T20I series started at 8 pm local time, the ODIs begin at 3 pm.
Duffy, who took 3/49 in the match, noted that rain added moisture to the wicket. He told Cricinfo that the moisture caused the ball to skid, removing the tackiness and the bounce seen earlier.
The bowler also credited the Indian pace attack, including Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, and Anshul Kamboj, for using the surface bounce effectively. The Indian quicks took all nine wickets, with the final dismissal being a run-out.
New Zealand managed to take five wickets during the chase, including three quick wickets after a 113-run partnership between Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. Duffy stated the team intends to come hard at the visitors in the remainder of the series.
New Zealand will attempt to level the five-match series in the second ODI.