In a historic upset, India lost their first-ever home ODI series to New Zealand, going down 2-1 in the three-match series. Shubman Gill’s side fell to a 41-run defeat in the series decider at Indore on Sunday, despite a valiant 124 from Virat Kohli.
New Zealand, led by Michael Bracewell, staged a stunning comeback after losing the series opener in Vadodara, winning the second and third ODIs in Rajkot and Indore. Remarkably, the visitors fielded a second-string squad, missing key players like Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, and Jacob Duffy.
Rookie bowlers Zak Foulkes (3/77) and Kristian Clarke (3/54) dominated India’s batting line-up, supported by Jayden Lennox (2/42). New Zealand’s batting was powered by Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106), helping them post 337/8. India, chasing 338, were bowled out for 296 in 46 overs.
The loss has drawn sharp criticism from fans, who called it humiliating for the world’s No. 1 ODI team, particularly given New Zealand’s depleted lineup.
Brief Scores:
- New Zealand: 337/8 (Daryl Mitchell 137, Glenn Phillips 106; Arshdeep Singh 3/63, Harshit Rana 3/84)
- India: 296 all out (Virat Kohli 124, Nitish Kumar Reddy 53, Harshit Rana 52; Zak Foulkes 3/77, Kristian Clarke 3/54, Jayden Lennox 2/42)