Anshul Kamboj Is Tailor-Made For Such Conditions: Shubman Gill

India captain Shubman Gill was delighted with Anshul Kamboj's impressive performance in the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday, saying the pacer is "tailor-made" for conditions in New Zealand. Kamboj made full use of the overcast conditions and lively pitch at Eden Park, returning figures of 2/22 from 10 overs, including two maidens, as India bowled New Zealand out for just 185. India went on to win the opening ODI and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. "Anshul is the kind of bowler... I think he's tailor-made for these conditions, always nippy, trying to seam the ball, and good with the old ball," Gill said during the post-match presentation.

"We felt that when there's not much happening from the wicket, he can create that extra bounce. With his pace and the way both of them bowled tonight, it was really magnificent to watch," he added.

Gill also praised India's overall bowling and fielding effort. While Arshdeep Singh (4/70) and Gurnoor Brar (3/44) ripped through New Zealand's batting line-up, the skipper highlighted a brilliant run-out by Rohit Sharma and a stunning one-handed catch by Virat Kohli.

"We were very good with the ball, and our fielding was also really good. That run-out by Rohit bhai, I think, changed the momentum of the game," Gill said.

"It was really that partnership, as even in India those two batted really well. Overall, it was a very good team performance from us."

Gill admitted that repeated rain interruptions made batting challenging.

"It's never easy when you're set and then it rains. The wicket gets a little quicker and a bit more nippy after the rain," he said.

"We were just trying to play our normal cricket. The way we batted made things a lot easier for us."

Kamboj said his focus was on sticking to the basics.

"The key was maintaining a consistent line and length, not thinking too much about how the wicket was behaving. It was about bowling in the right areas," he said.

"The wobble-seam ball was working really well, so I kept using it. I've just been working on my lengths and line, while also studying the strengths and weaknesses of the batters."

The young pacer added that he did not need to alter his lengths despite the extra bounce available.

"No, it doesn't matter because I also get good bounce naturally. It's only about the length I'm bowling and focusing on that," he said.

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted his side was caught off guard by the amount of bounce on offer after opting to bat first.

"The pitch probably bounced and was a little bit quicker than we expected at Eden Park. We probably didn't adapt as quickly as we could have, and India bowled really well too," Santner said.

"When you try to fight the bounce at Eden Park, it can be quite hard. India used it better, and Shreyas was looking to guide the shorter balls finer. After the rain, the pitch also skidded on nicely," he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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