India defeat New Zealand by five wickets via the DLS method in the first one day international match of a five-match series on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at Eden Park in Auckland.
Virat Kohli made 74 from 51 balls while Arshdeep Singh got 4 for 70 as India bowled out New Zealand for 185. Two interruptions due to rain meant that India needed only 143 runs and India achieved the target in 56 balls to spare. Anshul Kamboj won Player of the Match honors as he bagged figures of 2 for 22.
India's captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to field. Cricinfo reported that getting New Zealand out as soon as possible was essential as the weather had turned nasty twice and India were allowed only 32 overs for their innings.
The hosts were also missing Devon Conway who had suffered a concussion in an accidental collision with Matt Henry during practice on Tuesday.
Las Black Caps perdían regularmente sus wickets y en el noveno overs estaban 45/2, en los 22 overs 99/5, y a los 30 overs estaban 124/7.
El desempeño de los lanzadores indios fue bueno, tomando ventaja del terreno y logrando que las hosts cayeran por 185 en 40.2 overs. Destacados fueron:
- Arshdeep Singh:4 wickets para 70 en 10 overs, el mejor de los lanzadores.
- Gurnoor Brar: 3 wickets para 44.
- Anshul Kamboj: 2 wickets para 22, el más económico de los tres.
Los destacados de las Black Caps fueron Tim Seifert con 38, Blair Tickner con 34 de 23 deliveries, Glenn Phillips con 30 y Daryl Mitchell con 28.
El clima hizo dos parones durante el inning de los indios, acortando el target a 32 overs con 143 por el método DLS. Estaba claro que los bateadores indios estaban al tanto de esa nueva ecuación.
It all started poorly for India as Rohit Sharma fell for a six-ball duck in the first over. Kohli stepped in and immediately put the tone in place. Kohli struck 13 fours and a six through pulls and on-the-up strokes and got out for 74 off 51 balls as the match was all but won.
Gill played alongside him and scored 37 off 56 balls with the duo adding 113 runs for the second wicket. Jacob Duffy took 3 for 49 with New Zealand and removed Shreyas Iyer for 15 but by then India required only seven runs more. They won the match with 56 balls to spare.
According to ANI, Kohli went past Sachin Tendulkar to score the most runs during chases in ODI cricket history. He also achieved his 80th ODI half-century as per Yahoo Sports. According to Cricinfo, Kohli played an outstanding inning, and Gill said it made things much easier for everyone.
The scoreboard clearly indicated the dominance of India in the game as far as the bowlers are concerned:
- New Zealand: All out for 185 in 40.2 overs.
- India:143/5 in 22.4 overs (DLS target of 143 in 32 overs).
- Partnership: Partnership of 113 between Kohli and Gill for the second wicket.
- Result: India wins the game by five wickets in 56 balls left.
The performance of Kamboj was recognized not even during the game but also outside the ground. As reported by Cricinfo, former India all-rounder, Irfan Pathan stated that there will be no other option for selectors to ignore Kamboj for the 2027 World Cup.
Kamboj stated that he does not care much about one bad performance, meaning that he had learned from his previous game.
India came into the ODI series after defeating the previous T20I series 3-2. New Zealand won the fourth T20I match by 87 runs in Auckland due to Phillips' century and Jacob Duffy's four-wicket haul.
This is the second time that both teams will be facing each other in the ODI format, with the last ODI series being held in January 2026 in India, in which New Zealand defeated India 2-1.
India's win gives them a strong start to the series, particularly after losing that last ODI series to New Zealand. Their pace attack looked in good form, and they have options in depth.
New Zealand will need to improve their batting and find a way to keep wickets in hand, especially in the first 10 overs against swinging conditions.
Next Steps
There are four more matches to be played in the series, with India winning the first one by 1-0. Changes can be expected in the batting lineup of New Zealand, and they may benefit from playing at home in other grounds. The possibility of rain cannot be ruled out considering the unpredictable weather in Auckland.
