NZ vs IND: Harbhajan Singh not in favour of resting Mohammed Shami

The second NZ vs IND ODI has concluded and the hosts have won the encounter by 22 runs. In the first innings, New Zealand set a target of 274 for the Indians to chase.

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Harbhajan Singh unhappy with Mohammed Shami's exclusion

Mohammad Shami is a force to reckon with in international cricket. When Indian skipper Virat Kohli announced Shami's absence in Saturday's must-win match, many were left shocked. Shami was rested. In his place, a chance was given to young Navdeep Saini.

Former Team India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was presenting a pre-match show, was caught by surprise when he learnt about Shami not playing the match. Singh insisted that had Navdeep Saini been given an opportunity, he would have played instead of Shardul Thakur (who proved to be expensive in the first ODI). Thakur, however, did end up taking two wickets in Saturday's match.

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NZ vs IND Live score: New Zealand grab series victory

On Saturday, Virat Kohli won the toss and asked the Kiwis to bat first. Opening the innings, Henry Nicholls and Martin Guptill put forward a strong 93-run long partnership. Yuzvendra Chahal ended up breaking through Nicholls' defence and triggered a Kiwi collapse. New Zealand could only manage 273 in their 50 overs. It seemed like the match was in India's hands. In return, the Kiwi bowlers restricted India beautifully. They won the game by 22 runs.

That said, India didn't go down without a fight. Ravindra Jadeja, Shreyas Iyer and Navdeep Saini all brought their A-game forward but it wasn't enough. After the match, Virat Kohli underplayed the loss and said that ODIs weren't as important as T20Is and Tests this year. He said that India could consider changes in the upcoming game since they have nothing to lose now. 

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