Team India received a grand reception upon arriving in Raipur ahead of the second one-day international match against New Zealand. The Men in Blue are looking to seal the series after a narrow victory in the first game, which was held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.
As the team arrived at their hotel in Raipur, they were greeted with a traditional dance performance and welcome shawls for the entire contingent. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was among the first players to step off the team bus, followed by Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Umran Malik.
The first one-day international match in Hyderabad saw India prevail by 12 runs, despite a brutal assault from Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell. Bracewell almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with his 78-ball 140, and his partnership of 162 with Mitchell Santner. The monumental stand came after New Zealand had slumped to 131-6 in the 29th over in pursuit of 350.
However, India managed to pull it back in the final 10 overs, with Shardul Thakur, who bowled the final over, dismissing Bracewell off the second ball to bowl the opposition out for 337.
Earlier in the match, Shubman Gill’s 208 off 149 balls propelled the hosts to a score of 349, after Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first. Despite his knock resulting in a losing cause, Bracewell earned plenty of praise from Indian cricketers.