Virat Kohli struck a rapid 74 as India beat New Zealand by five wickets in a rain-affected first one-day international at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a revised target of 143 in 32 overs under the DLS method, India got home in 22.4 overs with 56 balls to spare. Seamer Anshul Kamboj was named player of the match after conceding just 22 runs from his full quota of 10 overs.
New Zealand bowled out for 185
Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl, and India’s attack kept New Zealand under pressure throughout. The hosts were dismissed for 185 in 40.2 overs.
Tim Seifert top-scored with 38 off 43 balls, while Glenn Phillips made 30 and Daryl Mitchell 28 before being run out. At 146 for nine, New Zealand looked set for a far lower total, but Blair Tickner hit four sixes in a quickfire 34 to add 39 for the last wicket.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh led the bowling with four for 70 from his 10 overs. Kamboj returned two for 22, an economy rate of 2.20, and Gurnoor Brar removed both Seifert and Tom Latham.
Kohli takes charge of the chase
Rain interrupted the match twice. After the first stoppage, the contest was reduced to 40 overs a side with India needing 167, according to Outlook India. A second delay brought the target down to 143 from 32 overs.
India lost Rohit Sharma for a six-ball duck, caught by Mitchell Santner off Kyle Jamieson, but Kohli and Gill then put on a century partnership for the second wicket to take the game away from New Zealand.
Kohli reached his fifty from 35 balls, his 80th half-century in ODIs, and finished with 74 from 51 deliveries, including 13 fours and a six. He was eventually caught by Seifert off Jacob Duffy in the 20th over. Gill made a steadier 37 from 56 balls.
Kohli had already made an impact in the field, taking a diving catch at second slip to dismiss Nathan Smith during the New Zealand innings, according to Outlook India.
Axar Patel fell for a duck and Shreyas Iyer was also dismissed before the finish, but Naman Dhir hit the winning runs to seal the result.
Match summary
- New Zealand: 185 all out (40.2 overs). Seifert 38, Tickner 34, Phillips 30; Arshdeep 4-70, Kamboj 2-22
- India: reached the DLS target of 143 in 22.4 overs, losing five wickets. Kohli 74, Gill 37
- Result: India won by five wickets
- Player of the match: Anshul Kamboj
- Series: India lead 1-0 (five matches)
Sources gave slightly different figures for some details. Outlook India described the Kohli-Gill stand as 100 runs, while CricketNews put it at 113.
Next up: Wellington
The second ODI is in Wellington on Saturday, November 7, starting at 3pm New Zealand time. For fans in the UAE, that is 6am UAE time, or 7:30am in India.
India arrive in Wellington having also won the preceding T20 international series against New Zealand 3-2. Before the opening game, Al Gulf News looked at the Eden Park record, team news and timings for the series opener.
Sources: CricketNews, Outlook India
