‘Bowlers fail to execute their plans’, admits India skipper Shikhar Dhawan | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India captain Shikhar Dhawan admitted that his bowlers were too short and failed to execute their plans against an attacking batter like Tom Latham, who made a mockery of the Indian bowling line-up and registered his career-best ODI score on Friday.
Latham played a whirlwind unbeaten knock of 145 while Williamson remained unbeaten on 94 having raised 221 runs with Latham as New Zealand chased down a victory target of 307 with 17 balls to spare at Eden Park in Auckland.

Latham smashed five sixes and 19 fours in his 104-ball stay in the middle. This was New Zealand’s 13th consecutive ODI win at home, their longest winning run in ODIs at home.
With ths win, New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The second ODI will be played in Hamilton on Sunday
“The ball was seaming in the first 15 overs. This ground is a bit different from other grounds. We bowled a lot on a short of a length, and Latham attacked. We misfielded on a few balls,” Dhawan said at the post-match presentation.
“We felt good with the total. But as I said, we were quite short to Latham, and that’s where he took the game away. He hit four boundaries in the 40th over, and that’s where the game shifted. Surely lots of learning for the boys,” Dhawan added.
Kiwi skipper Williamson said Latham played a special knock at the Eden Park, where anything is chaseable because of the dimensions of the square boundaries.
“It was a competitive total. If you build partnerships here at Eden Park, you can chase anything. Incredible innings from Tom Latham.
“On these drop-in pitches, you bowl full and straight, and it can be difficult. It was one of the most special ODI knocks I have seen. You are always in the game with the dimensions,” Williamson said.
“Spin played a big role today. The seamers did an excellent job. There were moments when we put them under pressure. Nice to make a contribution, and with Tommy going the way he was, it was about complementing,” he added.
Man of the Match Latham felt it was one of those days when everything went according to his plans.
“Just one of those days when everything comes off. Having a bit of fun in the end…It was nice to put the ball in the gaps and run hard. I guess the preparation has been nice,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)