Ish Sodhi played a crucial role in New Zealand’s ODI victory over Bangladesh, picking up a career-best 6 for 39. Sodhi’s impressive performance with the ball helped restrict Bangladesh to a total of 168 runs. He credited his success to a change in his run-up and approach to bowling.
Sodhi explained that he had been working on making his run-up slightly quicker compared to a year or two ago. This adjustment allowed him to bowl a delivery that he had been working towards, which he found particularly satisfying. He emphasized the importance of having the ability to get the ball to skid and keep the stumps in play, especially on slow wickets.
The leg-spinner also mentioned that he had to adapt his game due to the lack of spinning tracks in New Zealand, where pitches rarely offer much turn. He worked on finding different ways to be successful and noted the influence of T20 cricket and the emergence of young leg-spinners worldwide.
Sodhi’s outstanding performance earned him a place in the company of notable New Zealand bowlers who have taken six-wicket hauls in ODIs, and he expressed his desire to continue producing match-winning performances for his team.
He also discussed the decision to bat first in the match, mentioning that they chose to do so because the pitch was expected to deteriorate over time. Sodhi believed that setting a target and defending it was the right strategy, especially given the challenging batting conditions later in the day. He recognized the importance of dismissing key opposition batsmen like Tamim Iqbal to secure the victory.