Hosts India went down to New Zealand in the second ODI in Rajkot as the visitors New Zealand bounced back with a rip roaring win to level the series 1-1. India were outplayed in all facets of the game by New Zealand who were better than them. India had their moments, but could not win the big moments and were outplayed by the better side. India were exposed totally and we will list three reasons for their loss in second ODI.
Losing 4/48 just after the first powerplay inside 12 overs pegged India back
Hosts India were put into bat first by New Zealand and after a careful beginning, India got themselves going and got themselves a solid start courtesy their openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. They scored 57 in the first 10 overs and had put on 70 for the first wicket inside 13 overs to lay the platform for the Indian side. But it was Rohit’s wicket where he gave it away to Kristian Clarke that opened the door for New Zealand.
India failed to get another partnership going after that immediately as Shubman Gill after reaching back-to-back half centuries got out for 56 as he and Virat Kohli put on 29 for the second wicket. Thereafter, Shreyas Iyer gave his wicket away for 8 off 17 balls as only 16 runs were added to the score. After Iyer went, Virat Kohli chopped it back onto the stumps for 23 off 29 balls as India were suddenly reduced to 118/4 in 23.3 overs from 70/0 in the start of the 13th over.
KL Rahul led the recovery alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy to help India post 284 but those were around 30 runs short from a position India were in and it proved to be the case at the end of the night. Going forward to the decider, India needs to bat better especially the top order while batting first. They cannot lose wickets in clusters like they did here today and must have a better phase. Losing 4/48 is not acceptable especially if they are top order batters. India would want to work on this aspect going forward.
Dropped catches and multiple misfields runs India ragged
India were decent with the bat and with the ball initially when they came out to bowl with the new ball. But as the innings wore on, the fielding lapses started to happen and there were some costly misses that cost India the match. First, let’s talk about the catch that did not prove costly. Devon Conway was put down by KL Rahul off Harshit Rana but thankfully for India, that drop did not prove costly as in the next ball, Rana cleaned up Conway.
India were sloppy on the field giving away extra runs slipping and sliding and were not totally clean on the field. Yes, some fielders did well but India did not have the right fielder at the right place. Some slow fielders were patrolling the key hotspots and there was lack of clarity as to who should stand where. Daryl Mitchell and Will Young played without any trouble out in the middle but there was a moment in the 36th over which India slipped up.
First, Daryl Mitchell was let off as a direct hit from Jadeja at the striker’s end would have caught the batter out of his crease, but the throw missed and the batter survived. Then in the same over, Kuldeep induced a false shot against Mitchell and the ball went down to long-on where Prasidh Krishna dropped a sitter. Mitchell was on 80* and went on to make 131* from there. Who knows what could have happened had she fell there on 80.
Catches win matches is the old saying and India’s ground fielding is fine, but catching leaves a lot to be desired as loads of catches were dropped in the first ODI and in the series against South Africa. The efficacy has to improve for India if they want to win against the big teams otherwise they will struggle in the decider.
Indian spinners outbowled by their New Zealand counterparts
One of the other aspects to take into consideration is that the spinners of both sides’ performances in Rajkot today. It will be fair to say that New Zealand spinners bowled a lot better than the Indian spinners and the Indian spinners were the experienced of the two teams. But the performance said otherwise as the Indian spinners grossly underperformed in this game.
The New Zealand spinners bowled exceptionally well with captain Michael Bracewell finished with figures of 1/34 in 10 overs while Jayden Lennox on debut bowled 10 overs and finished with 1/42. Glenn Phillips also bowled 3 overs for 13 runs. So, we had 33 overs of spin for New Zealand in which 89 runs were given and 2 wickets taken. So, the middle overs were totally in control for New Zealand’s point of view. Contrast that to the Indian spinners and only two bowlers were used.
Ravindra Jadeja went for 44 in 8 overs and did not pick up a wicket. Kuldeep Yadav had a day to forget as he was all over the place as he finished with 1/82 in 10 overs. So, 18 overs of spin in which 126 runs were conceded and only one wicket taken. This was a massive play in the game. Yes, we can understand the conditions might have been different under lights and under day time but still India were expected to deliver much better returns. But it was not to be. Spinners having an off day meant India were on the back foot.
Looking ahead to the third ODI, Indian spinners need to stand up and be counted. Both Jadeja and Kuldeep had an average first game and now bad second game. They need to step up and lead the way for India to win the decider and the series. They can because they are proven players and champion players. But this loss is a serious wake-up call for the Indians to say the least.
What Lies Ahead
The series is now level at 1-1 and we are set for the series decider on Sunday 18th January, 2026 at 1:30 PM IST onwards live from Holkar Stadium in Indore. It will be a game of nerves for both sides and who wants it more at the end of the day. This series can go either way. Let’s see how the ODI series finale unfolds in Indore.
Also Read: IND vs NZ: 3 Reasons For New Zealand’s Heart-Breaking Loss In 1st ODI