India beat New Zealand by five wickets in rain-hit 1st ODI at Auckland: Kohli 74 off 51, Arshdeep takes four
Arshdeep's four wickets bowled New Zealand out for 185 at Eden Park, then Kohli's 74 off 51 chased a rain-cut 143 in 32 overs. India lead the series 1-0.
At a glance
- India beat New Zealand by five wickets with 56 balls to spare in the rain-hit first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday, November 4, and lead the five-match series 1-0.
- Arshdeep Singh took four wickets and Gurnoor Brar three as New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs; No. 11 Blair Tickner hit a late 34 off 23.
- Rain cut India's chase to a target of 143 in 32 overs. Virat Kohli made 74 off 51 balls with 13 fours and a six, his 80th ODI fifty.
- Jacob Duffy took three wickets in the chase, but Naman Dhir hit the winning runs in the 23rd over.
- The second ODI is in Wellington on Saturday, November 7; the third is in Hamilton on Tuesday, November 10.
India beat New Zealand by five wickets in a rain-shortened first one-day international at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday, November 4, with Virat Kohli's 74 off 51 balls doing most of the work in a chase of 143 in 32 overs. India won with 56 balls to spare and lead the five-match series 1-0.
The platform was laid by the seamers. Arshdeep Singh took four wickets and Gurnoor Brar three as New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs, after rain had delayed the toss and Shubman Gill chose to bowl first.
Arshdeep and Brar take New Zealand apart
New Zealand never settled. Arshdeep removed Will Young (9) and Henry Nicholls inside the first powerplay, leaving the hosts 40 for 2. Tim Seifert, opening in a reshaped top order, made 38 off 43 before Brar had him caught by substitute fielder Ruturaj Gaikwad at 79 for 3. Brar then caught Tom Latham (3) off his own bowling one run later.
Daryl Mitchell (28) looked the most likely to build an innings until he was run out at 100 for 5 after a sharp throw from Rohit Sharma and a rundown by wicketkeeper KL Rahul. Captain Mitchell Santner scratched 4 off 16 before Anshul Kamboj bowled him, and Kamboj struck again two balls later when Kohli dived at second slip to take a one-handed catch off Nathan Smith. At 115 for 7, New Zealand were in danger of not reaching 150.
Glenn Phillips (30) and Kyle Jamieson tried to rebuild, but Arshdeep returned to remove both, Jamieson caught by Kohli. The final 39 runs came from an unlikely source: No. 11 Blair Tickner swung 34 off 23 balls, including three sixes in the 38th over, before Brar had him caught behind to end the innings at 185.
| New Zealand wicket | Score | How out |
|---|---|---|
| Will Young (9) | 22/1 | c Iyer b Arshdeep |
| Henry Nicholls | 40/2 | c Dhir b Arshdeep |
| Tim Seifert (38) | 79/3 | c sub (Gaikwad) b Brar |
| Tom Latham (3) | 84/4 | c & b Brar |
| Daryl Mitchell (28) | 100/5 | run out (Rohit/Rahul) |
| Mitchell Santner (4) | 113/6 | b Kamboj |
| Nathan Smith (1) | 115/7 | c Kohli b Kamboj |
| Kyle Jamieson | 135/8 | c Kohli b Arshdeep |
| Glenn Phillips (30) | 146/9 | c (mid-off) b Arshdeep |
| Blair Tickner (34) | 185/10 | c Rahul b Brar |
Two rain breaks and a moving target
The weather took two bites out of India's reply. The first stoppage came with India 54 for 1 after 10.5 overs; when play resumed the match had been cut to 40 overs a side and India's target revised to 167. More rain arrived soon after, and when the players came back for the second time the target had been reduced again, to 143 from 32 overs, with India already on 65 for 1 after 12.
That left India needing 78 from 20 overs with nine wickets in hand — a gentle rate, but one that could have tightened quickly on a damp outfield with more showers around.
Kohli's 74 settles the chase
India had lost Rohit Sharma for a duck in the very first over, caught by a diving Santner at mid-off off Jamieson. Kohli came in at No. 3 and attacked from the start, reaching his fifty in 35 balls. It was his 80th half-century in ODIs, and the second-fastest of his ODI fifties away from home, behind a 34-ball effort against Australia in Canberra in 2016.
He and Gill (37 off 56, five fours) added the runs that broke the chase. Kohli finished with 74 off 51 balls, with 13 fours and a six, before Seifert caught him at deep backward square leg off Jacob Duffy at 124 for 3 in the 20th over. By then the innings had also taken Kohli past Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in ODI run chases, and the Indian board said he had become the first batter to reach 13,000 ODI runs batting at No. 3. The Eden Park crowd stood to applaud him off.
Duffy made it a little tense. Axar Patel was caught by Phillips at backward point for a duck off the last ball of the same over, and Shreyas Iyer fell to Duffy at 136 for 5. Gill had already gone at 114 for 2, caught behind off Smith. But only seven runs were needed, and Naman Dhir finished it with a pull in the 23rd over.
| India chase (target 143 in 32 overs) | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 74 | 51 |
| Shubman Gill (capt) | 37 | 56 |
| Rohit Sharma | 0 | — |
| Axar Patel | 0 | — |
| Result | 143/5 in 22.4 overs | won by 5 wkts |
Jacob Duffy took three wickets for New Zealand, with one each for Jamieson and Smith.
A young Indian attack passes its first test
India's bowling unit in Auckland had a new look, with Arshdeep leading a seam group of Kamboj, Brar and Auqib Nabi alongside Axar's spin. Brar and Kamboj both struck at key moments, and the fielding — Kohli's two catches at slip, the Rohit-Rahul run-out — kept the pressure on throughout.
New Zealand's batting looked short of a settled top order. Seifert's move to open was the only partnership-building effort that lasted.
The win continues a long, mixed tour. India won the first three T20Is before New Zealand came back to win the last two and draw level 3-2 at the end of the short-format leg.
Remaining fixtures
| Match | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd ODI | Wellington | Saturday, November 7 |
| 3rd ODI | Hamilton | Tuesday, November 10 |
| 4th and 5th ODIs | Mount Maunganui | Mid-November |
The second ODI in Wellington starts at 7:00am Pakistan time (7:30am in India) on Saturday, November 7. After the five ODIs, the two teams play two Tests to close the tour.
