Rohit and Gill smash centuries as India complete 3-0 clean sweep

India completed another ODI series clean-sweep on Tuesday as the Men in Blue comprehensively beat New Zealand by 90 runs in Indore to secure a 3-0 whitewash. Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill laced centuries to power the hosts to 385 before New Zealand managed 295 in response, with Devon Conway scoring an equally spectacular ton.

This victory takes India to the top of the ICC ODI rankings, putting the team in good stead ahead of the home World Cup later in the year.

It was a batting paradise in Indore, thanks to the combination of the flat pitch and small boundaries, and the Indian openers made full use of the sublime conditions to hurt the Kiwi bowlers. The pair got going with a six each in the fifth over against Jacob Duffy and pressed on the accelerator throughout the rest of their partnership. Lockie Ferguson was carted for 22 runs in his fourth over by Shubman Gill, while Rohit hammered Duffy for 17 runs in the tenth.

The pair brought up their century partnership in just the 13^th over of the innings, and continued their assault, with Rohit Sharma launching Santner for two sixes. Tom Latham handed the ball to part-timer Daryl Mitchell to avoid bowling off-spinner Michael Bracewell, but the medium pacer was carted for 41 runs in his four overs as both batters entered the 90s. The pair brought up their double-century partnership at the halfway mark of the innings and got to their respective centuries one over later to bring the Indore crowd to its feet.

This was Rohit Sharma’s 30^th ODI ton, and first in three years, while Gill added his fourth in just 21 innings. Both Gill and Rohit departed shortly after reaching three figures, and New Zealand produced an admirable comeback in the back half of the innings, picking wickets at regular intervals to dent the hosts’ late charge. Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur, though, added 54 runs in double quick time at the death to take India to a formidable total of 385.

New Zealand lost Finn Allen in the first over of the run chase, but Devon Conway kept them afloat with a spectacular century. The left-hander hammered the inexperienced Indian pace attack in the absence of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj to give the Kiwis a chance of completing a record chase. However, Shardul Thakur’s timely strikes in the middle pegged the Blackcaps back before Umran Malik picked up the key wicket of Devon Conway for 138 to seal the 3-0 series victory for the Men in Blue.