Matt Henry bowled one over that decided the match. It was the first of India’s reply, they needed 334, and by the time it ended Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were all out without scoring.
New Zealand batted first on a ground where a strong wind was blowing. Young, who had made 9 and 6 in the first two matches, scored 125 with 14 fours and four sixes and was dropped twice on the way, according to reports from AOL and others. Tim Seifert added 58. India’s bowlers shared the wickets. Axar Patel took 2 for 39, Auqib Nabi 2 for 59 and Gurnoor Brar 2 for 69, while Arshdeep Singh and Naman Dhir took one each. The hosts finished on 333 for 8.
India’s reply was over almost before it began. Henry’s triple-wicket maiden left them 0 for 3. It was the first time India had lost three wickets in an ODI without a run on the board and only the fifth such instance in ODI history, according to The Tribune. Ruturaj Gaikwad was out soon after for 5, making it 9 for 4.
Ishan Kishan made 27 and Dhir 21, the only scores above 20, and India were all out in 26.4 overs. Henry finished with 6 for 27, the best figures of his ODI career, and Matthew Fisher took 3 for 31. India’s total of 89 was their sixth-lowest in ODI cricket, Reuters reported.
Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz that Henry’s spell reminded him of the 2019 World Cup semi-final, in which Henry also removed India’s top order early and India lost by 18 runs.
Henry said the strong wind helped keep things simple. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner called him the best bowler in the world with the new ball in conditions that give a little help. India Today reported that Kohli swapped jerseys with Henry after the match.
Iyer, India’s captain, defended his batters. He said nobody threw their wicket away. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, in a post-match comment carried by The Times of India, said there are no unplayable deliveries, and raised concern about India’s frequent batting collapses in ODIs with the World Cup ahead.
India won the first two matches, the second a rain-affected win in Wellington. The third, in Hamilton, was abandoned because of rain. With this result, the series is 2-1, and the fifth match decides it on Sunday at Bay Oval. India took the preceding T20I series 3-2.
