Sports News | I Think the Start with Ball Wasn't Great: New Zealand Captain Tom Latham on Series Defeat Against India

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 24 (ANI): After suffering a 3-0 ODI series whitewash against India, New Zealand captain Tom Latham believes his team's start with the ball was not great and they were in a great position in the chase, but we lost too many wickets.

Centuries from openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill followed by three-wicket hauls from Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav helped India defeat New Zealand by 90 runs in the third and final ODI of the series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Tuesday.

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"I think the start with the ball wasn't great. Fantastic partnership, but we pulled it back to 380. We were in a great position in the chase, but we lost too many wickets.

Despite the defeat, Latham said that the last three games' exposure to Indian pitches and ground conditions will help New Zealand to play in India for the World Cup.

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"It's our last experience in India before the World Cup so the guys are exposed to these conditions in the three games and hopefully it'll be helpful in October. We're building depth in this group without Southee and others. Fingers crossed about my form for the World Cup. Hopefully we can take the learnings for the T20 series," Latham said.

Shardul and Kuldeep both bagged three-wicket while Yuzvendra Chahal claimed two conceding 43 runs. Devon Conway was the highest run scorer for New Zealand with a blistering knock of 138 runs off 100 balls.

Coming to the match, a brilliant 212-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (101) and Shubman Gill (112) set India up for a massive first-innings score of 385/9 in third and final ODI.

A late flurry from Hardik Pandya (54) and Shardul Thakur (25) helped boost the total, and the pair also played a key role with the ball.

Pandya bowled dangerous opener Finn Allen with just the second delivery of the chase, and Shardul picked up three quickfire wickets in the middle overs - including two in two balls - to effectively shatter New Zealand's hopes of winning last ODI.

Even a stunning century from New Zealand opener Devon Conway wasn't enough to deny India the win. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)