17 ODI assignments in India which included 4 World Cups and Champions Trophy. Even then, New Zealand never managed to win the trophy on Indian soil. But the Blackcaps showed again that they are not ready to be considered the underdogs as they won by 41 runs in Indore to seal a historic series win against India.
Daryl Mitchell’s 137 and Glenn Phillips’ 106 and their record partnership of 219 helped New Zealand post a mammoth total of 337 for eight in 50 overs as India completely faltered in their chase for early wickets as the Blackcaps bowlers displayed discipline, a trait they have shown throughout the series.
For India, Virat Kohli waged a lone battle in the middle with an exceptional 124 off 108 balls, but the others kept falling apart around him with Nitish Kumar Reddy. It was a new low for India as it was their first home series loss since 2019 when they lost to Australia.
INDIA REPEAT MISTAKES
When the Indian chase started with a boundary off Rohit Sharma’s bat, fans expected a high-scoring chase with less drama. The Holkar Stadium is known for its big matches, so everyone expected India to reach the finish line easily.
But one thing we have seen especially from the Indian batters in this series is the tendency to repeat mistakes. As the Blackcaps became more disciplined with their line and length, Rohit seemingly came into his shell and his dismissal was caused in the same way he had been out in the last two games.
An attempt to break the shackles and the ball just puffed to Kristian Clarke to have India 28 for one in four overs. Shubman Gill looked to be in good form throughout the series with two fifties in the last two matches, but his problems when facing in-swingers from Kyle Jamieson returned to him once again.
The New Zealand pacer dismissed the Indian skipper four times, three of which were dropped and incidentally in similar fashion. This time India were reduced to 45 for two in seven overs. Kohli looked determined after his failure in Rajkot and started things off with a beautiful six off Foulkes.
The best thing to see was how cautious he was when trying to drive the ball into the third man area, which has been a problem in the past when cutting the ball onto the stumps. While this correction was from him, Shreyas Iyer just got out, just like he did in the Rajkot ODI. This was also the second time that Kristian Clark got the better of the Indian vice-captain.
When KL Rahul, who had often bailed out India in previous matches, went for just 3 wickets in the 12th over, the hosts seemed to be staring at a rare defeat. The problem with these wickets was not just the repetition of the way they got out, but also the lack of corrections.
At that point the score was 71 for 4 when Nitish Kumar Reddy walked out to the middle to join Kohli. The all-rounder was briefed by Kohli about the situation and it was simple. Repeat what Mitchell and Phillips did in the first inning.
The duo kept the score ticking with singles and occasional boundaries, which were few and far between at the time thanks to New Zealand’s bowling. They were short bowlers as Michael Bracewell was injured and out of action, meaning Mitchell had to captain and find a fifth bowler.
That was the moment Kohli handed license to Nitish to flex his muscles and started with a six off Foulkes. He continued to target the bowlers and brought up his first fifty and India remained ahead of New Zealand at the halfway point.
But then disaster struck as Nitish tried to pull one out of the stadium and was caught at short mid-wicket and 88 runs ended. Ravindra Jadeja was in the middle but his poor form continued as he tried to take on Jaydon Lennox and bowled deep.
At this point, the excitement of the fans died down and it was only Kohli who kept people in their seats at the Holkar Stadium. Harshit Rana may have been trolled a lot over the past few months for many things, but one thing he has shown during this series is that he can play a role with the bat.
He made his intentions clear to become the No.7 all-rounder for India in the future and showed what he can do. The score was 178 for six and Harshit was once again used as a pawn to protect the king who organized the run.
Harshit started with a through shot but his idea with the bat was to keep Kohli company and back him up to hit some big shots. The run rate and Harshit’s hitting gave Kohli the confidence to kick into overdrive and race into the 90s with a six and a boundary.
As Kohli slowly made his way to his 54th hundred, Harshit started getting boundaries. The duo targeted Jamieson of all people and destroyed his spell of 21 from the 43rd over. Harshit hit four boundaries and four sixes in his impressive first fifty and got it with a maximum.
But then disaster struck as Harshit fell and India lost Mohammed Siraj for a duck.
India needed 61 at that point with Kohli in the middle, but the partners weren’t just there. Kohli had to take it all in and got a couple of boundaries before finally falling. That was the end and it was poetic for Glenn Phillips to run out Kuldeep Yadav to seal the win and start the celebrations.
– The end
Published on:
January 18, 2026