New Delhi: Virat Kohli’s fighting 54th ODI century went in vain as New Zealand beat India by 41 runs in the deciding third ODI at the Holkar Stadium in Indore to clinch the three-match series 2-1 on Sunday. New Zealand scripted history by bringing an end to a 37-year-long wait for their maiden bilateral series victory on Indian soil.
It was a new low for the hosts under head coach Gautam Gambhir as the Kiwis repeated the feat after pulling off their maiden Test series victory in India in 2024. A spectacular top-order collapse in the 338-run chase led to India’s crushing defeat in the third ODI in Indore as the hosts were left with a lot to reflect upon with the ODI World Cup lined up next year.
In pursuit of a big target of 338 runs, India got off to a dismal start as New Zealand ripped through the hosts’ top order. Rohit Sharma perished cheaply after a soft dismissal, while skipper Shubman Gill too failed to convert his start. Shreyas Iyer fell to the Kiwis short ball ploy, and KL Rahul was sent packing after scoring just 1 off 3 balls.
Kohli led India’s fight back with a gutsy 124-run knock and combined with Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) and Harshit Rana (52) to keep India in the game till the end. However, he succumbed under pressure in the death overs as New Zealand romped to a dominant series-clinching victory. The series will leave the Indian team management with a lot to ponder upon, with no ODI action till June this year.
Four things that went wrong for India in ODI series against New Zealand:
1) Batting collapse in 3rd ODI
With the series poised at 1-1, India had a decent chance of stopping New Zealand from pulling off their maiden ODI series victory on Indian soil despite conceding 337 runs in the third ODI in Indore. With shorter boundaries and conditions favourable for the batters, India would have backed themselves in the chase.
However, a terrible top-order collapse led to their decisive defeat. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were dismissed early, trying to set the tone with early boundaries, before Shreyas Iyer was caught by Zakary Foulkes off a shortish delivery. KL Rahul too failed to hold on and was dismissed cheaply on 1, leaving India reeling at 71/4 in the 338-run chase.
Despite a classy century from Virat Kohli and gritty half-centuries from Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana, India never looked like they were in the chase and eventually fell short by 41 runs. If not for the top-order collapse, India could have avoided another embarrassing series defeat at home against the Kiwis.
2) Rohit Sharma’s poor returns
The spotlight was on the pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the start of the series. While Kohli managed to continue from where he had left off in the ODI series against South Africa last month, Rohit failed to replicate his heroics against Australia and the Proteas.
The senior batter endured a poor run in the ODI series against New Zealand, managing only 61 runs in three matches. With India chasing a huge target in the series decider in Indore, the expectations were high from Rohit, however, he was dismissed cheaply on 11 off 13 balls, recording his third successive failure in the series.
Rohit scored 26 runs in the series opener against New Zealand in Vadodara and was dismissed cheaply on 24 runs in the 2nd ODI in Rajkot. Amid his poor form, questions are likely to be raised regarding his future in ODIs with the World Cup approaching and Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings.
3) Lack of wickets from Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav’s poor form with the ball was also a huge concern for India and played a big role in the 2-1 series defeat. The left-arm spinner, who has been one of India’s strike bowlers in the fifty-over format, failed to make an impact in the ODI series against the Kiwis.
Kuldeep managed only three wickets in three matches and was taken for 182 runs in three matches. The lack of wickets from the Chinaman in the middle overs cost India dearly in the series as New Zealand’s middle-order batters dominated the proceedings with the bat.
4) Ravindra Jadeja’s dismal form
Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s dismal form was also one of the major reasons for India’s crushing series defeat. In the absence of Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, Jadeja was expected to play a key role with the ball and with the bat for India in the lower middle order. However, he went wicketless and failed to deliver with the bat in the series.
Jadeja was dismissed cheaply on 12 in the third ODI on Sunday, with India requiring someone to build a partnership with Kohli during the 338-run chase. He finished the series with only 43 runs in three matches and 0 wickets. Jadeja has now managed only one wicket in his last six ODI matches for India, raising questions about his spot in the side when Axar and Hardik are ready to make a comeback.