The Men In Blue faced a 4-wicket loss against the Kiwis at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Former Team India skipper Kapil Dev has publicly voiced his opinion and suggested Virat Kohli to swap out Shardul Thakur for Navdeep Saini ahead of India's second ODI against New Zealand.
The Men In Blue faced a 4-wicket loss against the Kiwis at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.
The visitors could not defend their mammoth 347 total as seasoned Ross Taylor anchored the Kiwi chase with an unbeaten 109 run-knock.
Indian bowlers struggle continued as the hosts overhauled the target with 11 balls to spare with Shardul Thakur conceding 80 runs in his 9 overs.
“You need a wicket-taking option. It is important to get Saini in the side not because India have lost the first ODI but he deserves a place in the side because of his pace and wicket-taking abilities."
"Look at Bumrah, he forces New Zealand to play him watchfully because whenever batsmen try to attack these bowlers can get wickets,” Dev claimed.
The legendary cricketer then went on to add how team selection should always be made under the requirements of the squad for the match and not on likings.
“Team selection should be never be based on liking or disliking. It should be on what the team requires and which combination can you win you games,” he added.
Batting first, Shreyas Iyer (103 off 107), KL Rahul (88 not out) and Virat Kohli (51) took India to a good total of 347/4.
While chasing, the BlackCaps got a comfortable start but the wickets of Tom Latham (69) and James Neesham (9) and Colin de Grandhomm (1) disrupted the batting line-up.
However, Taylor cemented his place on the field and did not let the host lose another winning match.
With a 1-0 lead under their belt in the three-match ODI series, New Zealand are set to take on India in Auckland on Saturday (February 8) for the second match.
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 "Shardul Thakur, Kapil Dev and Virat Kohli")
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