India, Jan. 13 -- Ravichandran Ashwin, the former India spinner, was impressed by New Zealand and how the visitors managed to stay in the contest right until the very end in the first ODI of the three-match series in Vadodara. A depleted Kiwi lineup gave the hosts a run for their money, and India somehow huffed and puffed to a victory. Chasing 301, India were in cruise control when Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were batting together, but upon the dismissal of the former on 93, India faced a cluster collapse, and in the end, it was KL Rahul who ensured that the side got over the line with four wickets in hand and six balls to spare.

It is worth noting that New Zealand have not sent a full-strength squad for the ODI series as the selectors ...