In a masterclass of controlled seam bowling, India's pace attack, led by Mohammed Siraj and ably supported by Harshit Rana, staged a remarkable fightback to stall New Zealand's charge in the first ODI at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Vadodara on January 11, 2026. On a pitch offering little help, it was not raw pace but cunning intelligence that turned the tide for the hosts.
The Turning Point: Siraj's Calculated Slow-Down
With New Zealand placed comfortably at 180 for 4 after 35 overs and the dangerous Daryll Mitchell well-set, India were staring at a daunting chase. The surface had negligible assistance for both pace and spin, making a conventional attack seem futile. This is when Mohammed Siraj, stepping up as the leader in Jasprit Bumrah's absence, showcased a different facet of his craft.
Consciously taking the pace off the ball became his primary weapon. Recognizing that the pitch had begun to grip and slow down, Siraj shortened his run-up slightly, focused on an upright seam, and mixed his lengths cleverly. He combined fuller deliveries with shorter ones, occasionally slipping in his signature wobble-seam ball. The objective was clear: hold the ball in the pitch, force the batters to generate their own power, and disrupt their timing.
The discipline was impeccable. He conceded a mere four boundaries throughout his spell, applying relentless pressure. There were no loose deliveries to ease the pressure, and each ball carried intent. This strategic shift did not produce dramatic wicket-taking deliveries but created deep discomfort, making boundary-hitting exceedingly difficult and shifting the momentum unmistakably in India's favour.
Harshit Rana's Crucial Support Act
At the other end, Harshit Rana played a perfect foil with his discipline and smart adaptations. After an initial probing spell, he quickly adjusted once the ball stopped swinging, settling into a tight, stump-to-stump line from around the wicket. His accuracy choked the flow of runs, and he bowled a telling 26 dot balls.
Rana's moment of brilliance came in the 22nd over to break a dangerous opening stand of 117 runs. Having consistently bowled in the high 130s kph, he deceived left-hander Henry Nicholls with a perfectly disguised off-cutter. The delivery, bowled at just 113 kph, held up on the surface, leading to a mistimed shot that was smartly caught by KL Rahul. Later, his variations continued to trouble Daryll Mitchell, frustrating the set batter and building the pressure that led to his dismissal.
Seamers Cover for Spinners, Seal the Deal
While the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav struggled to exert pressure, leaking runs, the pacers shouldered the responsibility. Prasidh Krishna, though expensive, varied his lengths effectively at the death with short-of-a-length deliveries to restrict the final flourish.
The collective effort of the seamers yielded figures of 6 for 165 from their 30 overs. The most telling statistic was their phenomenal dot-ball percentage of 46.9, which strangled the New Zealand innings in the middle and death overs. Daryll Mitchell later acknowledged the challenge, citing the slower wicket and the rule of one ball from the 35th over, which made scoring harder as the ball softened.
This performance underscored a vital lesson in modern limited-overs cricket: on unresponsive tracks, bowling intelligence, control, and subtle variations can be far more potent than sheer speed. Mohammed Siraj's leadership and Harshit Rana's composed support ensured India never let the game slip away, setting up a manageable chase on a tricky Vadodara surface.
