IND vs NZ 1st ODI Highlights: India Win Thriller in Vadodara By 4 Wickets. India started the ODI series with a strong win against New Zealand in Vadodara. The hosts chased a challenging target and won by four wickets. The victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The match was played at the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first.
New Zealand Set Competitive Target
New Zealand scored 300 for 8 in 50 overs. Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 84 runs from 71 balls. Devon Conway played a calm knock of 56 runs. Henry Nicholls added stability with 62 runs in the middle overs. India’s bowlers pulled things back at the death. Harshit Rana picked up 2 wickets for 65 runs. Prasidh Krishna also claimed 2 important wickets—the final ten overs produced runs, but also crucial breakthroughs.
India began the chase with intent but lost Rohit Sharma early. Rohit scored 26 runs before getting out. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli then steadied the innings. The pair added a vital partnership for the second wicket. Gill scored a fluent 56 runs with good strike rotation. Virat Kohli played the anchor role throughout the chase. He scored 93 runs from 91 balls with controlled aggression. Kohli missed his century but guided India close to victory.
After Kohli’s dismissal, pressure briefly returned to India. Shreyas Iyer counter-attacked with 49 runs. His innings kept the required rate under control. KL Rahul finished the chase with calm batting. Rahul remained unbeaten on 29 runs from 21 balls. He hit a six to seal the match in the 49th over. India reached 306 for 6 in 49 overs.
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Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match. He also crossed Sourav Ganguly’s ODI appearance record for India. Rohit Sharma broke Chris Gayle’s record for most ODI sixes by an opener. This win ended New Zealand’s long ODI winning streak. India showed depth and composure under pressure. The second ODI will be played on January 14. New Zealand will look to bounce back quickly. India will aim to seal the series early.