NEW DELHI: Ahead of the second ODI against India on Wednesday, New Zealand batter Henry Nicholls spoke about how important this series is for his team as they start preparing for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027.Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Nicholls said that ODI cricket is now played less often between major tournaments. Because of that, every bilateral series has become more valuable.
“I think there’s not as much one-day cricket between major events. I think that makes these series even more important. You know, certainly for us as a group, it’s an exciting format,” Nicholls told reporters.Nicholls said some New Zealand players have stayed connected to the 50-over format by playing List A cricket at home. That has helped them stay ready. He added that the team enjoys playing ODIs and wants to make full use of every chance they get.“A few of us have been playing some of the List A cricket back home, so we have got a bit of the 50-over format under our belt, but it’s a format that we enjoy playing… we’re certainly looking to make the most of these opportunities as a team,” Nicholls added.The 34-year-old also spoke about the challenge of facing Indian greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He said playing against such players is always a learning experience.“Any time you play, you’re going to learn from players like that, and that’s a challenge that we knew coming into the series.”Nicholls praised New Zealand’s bowlers for the way they tried to handle both batters in the first ODI. He felt the team showed improvement as the match went on.“But also to see in the first game… the way the guys adapted, certainly from a bowling point of view… I think we saw a little bit of that towards the end of the match,” he further stated.He added that building pressure against top players on Indian pitches will remain a key challenge for the team going forward.India won the first ODI by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Chasing a target of 301, India were guided by captain Shubman Gill’s 56, Virat Kohli’s 93 and Shreyas Iyer’s 49. KL Rahul and Harshit Rana added useful runs at the end.Earlier, New Zealand were restricted to 300 for 8. Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway shared a strong 117-run stand. Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj picked up two wickets each to keep the hosts in check.
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