For someone who had just been a part of a team that suffered a big six-wicket ODI loss on the back of a 3-0 test series whitewash, Black Caps opener Tom Latham was surprisingly upbeat.
The baby-faced left-hander carried the team with an innings of 79 off 98 balls and became the first Black Cap to carry his bat through an ODI innings in the team’s poor series-opening innings of 194.
And with India mowing down the final total for the loss of just four wickets, you could expect Latham to come in dragging his lip a little. However, it was just the opposite from the 24-year-old whose team will look to channel his positivity for the second ODI in New Delhi.
"When we play our best cricket, we'll beat most teams in the world," he said.
"We haven't had the results we want on this tour but there's still four massive games to come.
"Hopefully we'll be better for the hit-out and can change a few things in the next couple of days."
New Zealand's three senior batsmen all departed inside the first seven overs, with Ross Taylor's form a particular concern.
His golden duck followed a Test series in which he contributed 89 runs from six innings.
Latham agreed with Indian captain MS Dhoni that a par score on the pitch would have been close to 300.
However, he couldn't accelerate the scoring as wickets fell relentlessly at the other end before pride was restored by a 71-run stand with No.10 Tim Southee.
While spin conquered them in the Tests, they didn't cope with the early seam and zip of Indian new ball pair Hardik Pandya (3-31) and Umesh Yadav (2-31), who capitalised on lively conditions to reduced the tourists to 65-7.
Playing his 100th ODI, Southee's 55 off 45 balls was his first half-century. It was the highest ODI score by any Black Cap batting at nine or lower in the order.
Southee and the other Black Caps seamers couldn't generate the same life as the home side's bowlers as Virat Kohli's unbeaten 85 steered India home.
Newshub.
