Kamboj and Kohli power India to five-wicket win over New Zealand

Veteran batter Virat Kohli struck a commanding 74 off 51 balls after Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj’s scintillating bowling show as India beat New Zealand by five wickets in a rain-affected first ODI here at Eden Park on Wednesday.

India’s ‘inexperienced’ pace attack produced an impressive collective performance to bowl New Zealand out for 185 in 40.2 overs. In response, the visitors chased down a revised target of 143 in 22.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

India’s chase suffered an early setback when Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a six-ball duck by Kyle Jamieson in the opening over. However, Kohli joined skipper Shubman Gill to take control of the innings, with the pair building a match-defining partnership.

The chase was interrupted twice by rain, with the contest eventually reduced to 32 overs and India’s target revised to 143 under the DLS method. Kohli brought up his half-century after the second resumption, reaching the milestone off 35 deliveries with a powerful pull through mid-wicket in the 16th over.

The experienced batter continued to dominate New Zealand’s short-ball approach, striking 13 fours and a six. His innings also saw him move past Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in ODI run chases, taking his tally to 8,741 runs, compared to Tendulkar’s 8,720.

Gill provided steady support with 37 off 56 balls as the duo added a century partnership, their sixth 100-plus stand in 27 ODI innings together. New Zealand finally broke through when Nathan Smith had Gill caught behind for 37 in the 19th over.

Kohli, however, continued to keep India comfortably ahead of the required rate before Jacob Duffy dismissed him for 74, caught by Tim Seifert at deep backward square leg. Duffy struck again in the same over, removing Axar Patel for a duck, while Shreyas Iyer fell for 15 to give the hosts a late glimmer of hope.

But the result was never seriously in doubt. KL Rahul and Naman Dhir ensured there were no further complications, with the latter pulling Nathan Smith through mid-wicket for four to seal the win.

Earlier, Arshdeep Singh claimed four wickets, while Gurnoor Brar took three and Anshul Kamboj picked up two as India restricted New Zealand to 185. The hosts had no answers to the riddles and questions that India’s pace attack threw at them, as they were held to a paltry total to make things a tad bit easier for the visitors.

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner admitted his side failed to adjust quickly enough to the pace and bounce at Eden Park after being bowled out for 185 in the first ODI against India.

New Zealand’s batters struggled to cope with the extra bounce, with India’s pace attack repeatedly finding ways to trouble them. Arshdeep Singh claimed four wickets, while Gurnoor Brar picked up three and Anshul Kamboj returned figures of 2-22 to restrict the hosts to a below-par total.

Reflecting on the batting performance, Santner pointed to the surface and India’s disciplined bowling as key factors in New Zealand’s collapse.

“Yeah, I think the pitch probably bounced and, you know, it was probably a little bit faster than we kind of expected at Eden Park. I think we probably didn’t adapt as quickly as we could. And with some good bowling from India as well,” Santner said after the game.

The Kiwi skipper felt India’s batters were more effective in dealing with the bounce, particularly when facing the short ball. He also noted how the conditions changed after rain interruptions during the chase, with the ball skidding on more comfortably.

“When you try to fight the bounce at Eden Park, it can be quite hard. I think the way they kind of used it a little bit more, and Shreyas was trying to go more fine with the shorter balls. And yeah, obviously bounced a lot, and after the rain it kind of skidded on nicely. So yeah, a few short balls out there,” he added.

Despite the defeat, Santner was pleased with the way New Zealand’s bowlers responded after India made a strong start in the chase of the small total. The visitors were reduced to 143/5, with Jacob Duffy taking three wickets, but Virat Kohli’s 74 off 51 balls had put India firmly in control.

He credited his fast bowlers for refusing to give up after the early onslaught and finding some positives towards the end of the contest, which New Zealand can carry into the second ODI in Wellington.

“Yeah, very happy. It was easy for us to kind of roll over there after the start they got. So, credit to the fast bowlers to keep backing it up. So yeah, I think we found some good stuff at the end of the game there, and we can kind of go on to Wellington,” he said.

Agencies