The run machine and chase master Virat Kohli stood tall yet again as his 80th ODI fifty outclassed and outfoxed New Zealand. Virat Kohli showed his class, but before that, Arshdeep Singh picked up 4 wickets, Gurnoor Brar picked up 3 wickets, and Anshul Kamboj picked up 2 wickets in an economical spell as India restricted New Zealand to 185 in 40.2 overs on a challenging track.
In reply, Rohit Sharma went early, but Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill put on a match-winning partnership amidst multiple rain delays as India had a wobble towards the end but won by 5 wickets under the DLS method in a rain-truncated clash in the end. India drew first blood in this long 5-match series.
Arshdeep Singh’s 4-wicket haul skittles New Zealand out for 185 in 40.2 overs
Put into bat first under overcast conditions and on a challenging track, Will Young and Tim Seifert came out to open the batting for New Zealand while Arshdeep Singh had the new ball in hand for India. Seifert got an early reprieve as he was dropped by Naman Dhir off Auqib Nabi, who was denied his maiden ODI wicket. The openers put on 22 for the first wicket inside 5 overs before Young was the first to depart for 9 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name to Arshdeep Singh. Henry Nicholls came out to bat next.
Nicholls and Seifert tried to put up a partnership of note and added 18 runs for the second wicket before Nicholls departed for 9 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name to Arshdeep, who picked up his second wicket. Daryl Mitchell came out to bat next. New Zealand reached 45/2 in 10 overs of the powerplay as it was a steady start by the hosts. The duo carried on and took the Kiwis to 71/2 in 14 overs at Drinks. They added 33 runs in total for the third wicket before Seifert fell for 38 off 43 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Gurnoor Brar.
Keeper-batter Tom Latham came out to bat next. The middle order started to crumble now for the Kiwis. Latham and Mitchell added 11 runs for the 4th wicket before Latham fell for 3 off 11 balls to Brar, who plucked out a one-handed catch. Glenn Phillips came out to bat next. Mitchell and Phillips added 13 runs for the 5th wicket before Mitchell, who looked set for a good knock, was run out by Rohit Sharma for 28 off 41 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name. Captain Mitchell Santner came out to bat next.
Phillips kept the fight going while Santner had a struggle at the crease. The duo put on 16 runs for the 6th wicket before Santner fell for 4 off 16 balls as he got an inside edge back onto the stumps off Anshul Kamboj. Nathan Smith came out to bat next. Just two runs were added to the tally before Smith fell for 1 off 9 balls to Kamboj. Kyle Jamieson came out to bat next. Phillips did the bulk of the scoring and added 16 runs for the 8th wicket before Jamieson fell for 1 off 6 balls to Arshdeep Singh.
Jacob Duffy came out to bat next. Phillips and Duffy tried to keep the fight for the Kiwis and added 15 runs for the 9th wicket before Phillips, the last of the recognised batters, fell for 30 off 51 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Arshdeep. Blair Tickner came out to bat as New Zealand were 146/9 in 35.1 overs. But the Kiwis were not ready to throw in the towel yet. Blair Tickner had fun alongside Duffy out there in the middle.
Tickner took Arshdeep to the cleaners and spoilt his figures. The last wicket pair wagged for New Zealand as they recovered to get to a respectable total. The duo added 39 runs for the last wicket in no time before Tickner was prized out for 34 off 23 balls with one four and four sixes to his name to Brar. Duffy remained unbeaten on 15 off 21 balls with 3 fours to his name as New Zealand ended with a below-par but respectable 185 in 40.2 overs. 13 extras were given by the fielding side.
Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/70 in 10 overs. Gurnoor Brar bowled well with figures of 3/44 in 9.2 overs. Anshul Kamboj was exceptional with his figures of 2/22 in 10 overs. Auqib Nabi finished with 0/33 in 6 overs. Axar Patel finished with 0/12 in 5 overs. This meant that India at this stage needed 186 runs to win off 50 overs to go 1-0 up the 5-match ODI series.
Virat Kohli’s 80th ODI fifty guides India over the finishing line in rain-curtailed chase
Chasing 186 initially in 50 overs, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill came out to open the batting for India while Kyle Jamieson had the ball in hand for New Zealand. Jamieson drew first blood for the hosts as just one run was on the board when Rohit fell for 0 off 6 balls in the opening over. Chase master Virat Kohli came in. After a few nervy moments, Kohli took control of the chase in dominating fashion while captain Gill was happy to play second fiddle to the all-time great. India reached 49/1 in 10 overs of the mandatory power play.
The Indian innings was marred by rain as the first interruption came when India were 54/1 in 10.5 overs. When play resumed, the match was reduced to 40 overs a side, and the revised target for India was 167 in 40 overs. Thereafter, the duo took the score to 64/1 in 12 overs when another rain interruption happened, which was the final one of the night. Eventually, the revised target was 143 runs in 32 overs.
It was a challenge for Kohli and Gill to have these stop-start situations, but the King and Prince adjusted well. The King was in a different zone while the Prince struggled but hung in there to get a score. It looked as if Kohli was batting on a different pitch compared to the others in the match. Kohli completed his half-century in 35 balls, his 80th ODI fifty, and looked good for more.
Gill and Kohli complemented each other really well. The duo put on 113 runs for the second wicket amidst the stop-and-start nature of the game before Gill fell for 37 off 56 balls with 5 fours to his name to Nathan Smith. Shreyas Iyer came out to bat next. The duo of Kohli and Iyer added 10 runs to the score before Kohli fell for 74 off 51 balls with 13 fours and one six to his name to Jacob Duffy.
Axar Patel came out to bat next. The score remained at 124 when Axar fell for a second-ball duck to Duffy, who had two in the over, as Glenn Phillips pulled off a stunner in the deep by flying away. KL Rahul came out to bat next. Rahul and Iyer added 12 runs for the 5th wicket to bring India closer before Shreyas fell for 15 off 13 balls with one four and one six to his name to Duffy. Naman Dhir brought India within touching distance of the win.
As is the case, Naman hit the winning runs via a boundary as India reached 143/5 in 22.4 overs, with the last wicket putting on 7 runs for the 6th wicket unbeaten. Rahul was unbeaten on 3 off 5 balls, while Naman was unbeaten on 5 off 3 balls with one four to his name. 9 extras were given by the fielding side.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/49 in 7 overs. Kyle Jamieson finished with 1/34 in 7 overs. Nathan Smith finished with 1/21 in 4.4 overs. Blair Tickner went for 38 runs in 4 overs. Just 4 bowlers were used by New Zealand, with Santner not bowling at all. So, India beat New Zealand by 5 wickets under the DLS method to go 1-0 up in the 5-match ODI series. Anshul Kamboj for his economical spell and picking up 2 wickets, was adjudged the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
So, India lead the series 1-0 with 4 games still to play in this 5-match ODI series. The second ODI is set to be played this Saturday, 7th November, 2026, from 7:30 AM IST as the caravan moves to HNRYS Stadium in Wellington. India will aim for a 2-0 lead and drive home the advantage while New Zealand will hope for a strong comeback to level the series.
Let’s see how things unfold when the second ODI comes to us from Wellington on Saturday.
Also Read:Â NZ VS IND: India & New Zealand Set For Blockbuster ODI Series.