Auckland, Right-arm fast bowler Kyle Jamieson had a dream debut as he starred with both bat and ball to help New Zealand clinch a thrilling 22-run victory over India in the second ODI played at Eden Park on Saturday.
In a game which went down to the wire, New Zealand — who lost T20I games by a whisker on almost three occasions — kept their composure and bundled out India for 255, thus clinching their first ever ODI series win over the Men in Blue in the last six years.
“On a high at the moment, I need time to sink it in; the game ebbed and flowed all along,” Jamieson, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said after the game.
Playing his first game at the international level, Jamieson first shared a brilliant 76-run partnership with Ross Taylor (72*) for the ninth wicket to power Black Caps to 273/8. During the course of the partnership, Jamieson scored 25* which included one boundary and two sixes.
“The plan was pretty simple, take it to the 50 overs (about his batting stint with Ross Taylor), a total of around 230-240, we would have been happy, just wanted to stay there and stick with Ross, be there till the end,” said Jamieson while talking about his match-winning partnership with Taylor.
During India’s chase, the 6 feet 8 inch tall fast bowler scalped two wickets giving away just 42 runs in his 10 overs. He got the wicket of opener Prithvi Shaw in his very first over and he got the better of Navdeep Saini at the end. Saini at one point was looking like he would take the game away from New Zealand.
“It was a surreal moment to get a wicket in the first over, it was more relief than anything else, happy that I didn’t go for too many,” he said.
India and New Zealand will now face each other in the dead rubber on Tuesday at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
