Published: January 18, 2026 at 10:39 pm
New Zealand were not at full strength but they had enough gumption to come back after losing the first game to take the three-match ODI series against India 2-1 with a comprehensive 41-run win in the final game in Indore on Sunday night. This incidentally is New Zealand’s first ODI series win in India.
Bouncing back seems to come easily for the Kiwis as they looked down and out at 58 for three but Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips conjured up a magical 219-run partnership for the third wicket which helped the visitors reach a competitive 337 for eight.
“Always a pressure to come and play here. First time a NZ team has won an ODI series here, that’s special. You always hope to come here and play good cricket. As a group, we’ve stuck to what we do well. We’re the sum of all the parts of the team and work as a group. We’re a small country from the bottom of the world and take on big ones. Mitchell’s been amazing in ODIs for a number of years. He’s a humble guy, seeing him get his rewards is special. Having three debutants this series and getting to experience the crowds has been cool. Growing the depth of cricket in NZ is awesome,” said skipper Michael Bracewell, who collected the trophy from BCCI president Mithun Manhas.
India too did not have the kind of start they envisioned with Rohit Sharma and skipper Shubman Gill adding 28 for the first wicket but Zak Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson got rid of the duo. To make matters worse, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul fell cheaply, and India were reduced to 71 for four.
They needed a miracle similar to the one New Zealand experienced but sadly for the huge crowd at the stadium, India found none. Though Virat Kohli was there, he lacked support from the other end. For some time, Nitish Kumar Reddy (53; 57 balls, 2×4, 2×6) made us believe that he was the answer but after adding 88 for the fifth wicket with Kohli, the Andhra all-rounder fell.
Ravindra Jadeja continued with his poor form with the willow. Harshit Rana (52; 43 balls, 4×4, 4×6) came and gave rise to the Indian hopes again. He and Kohli threatened to take the fight to the enemy camp but it was not to be so. Kohli and Rana added 99 for the sixth wicket but Rana’s departure more or less settled the issue.
Kohli went on to get a century but he was in no position to push India over the bar. Kohli made 124 (108 balls, 10×4, 3×6) and India were all out for 296.
“After the first game, coming here 1-1, the way we played was disappointing. Lot of areas need improving. Virat bhai’s batting, Harshit’s batting have been plusses. Fast bowlers have done well. Keeping WC in mind and where it will be, we want to give Nitish opportunities,” said a dejected India skipper Gill.
New Zealand bounce back from bad start
Earlier, New Zealand had a disastrous start with openers Devon Conway (5) and Henry Nicholls (0) sent back with just five on the board. To make matters worse for the visitors, they lost Will Young (30) too to leave them reeling at 58 for three.
Thereafter, it was a Michell and Phillips show as the duo hammered centuries to put India on the backfoot. Mitchell scored 137 (131 balls, 15×4, 3×6) and Phillips got 106 (88 balls, 9×4, 3×6) to get New Zealand back on track.
Mitchell, who has proved to be the nemesis for the Indian bowlers in this series, walked away with the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. The right-handed bat scored 352 in the series with two centuries to his credit. Mitchell scored 84 in the first game at Vadodara and followed it up with an unbeaten 131 at Rajkot. The icing on the cake came on Sunday in Indore as he made 137. He ended the series with a whopping average of 176.
“It’s really nice to contribute and to win over here. The way we built partnerships, with Young and GP. Always nice to get stuck into moments with your mates. I’m just trying to concentrate on being present, watch the ball and repeat, and make some good decisions. GP is a mate, awesome to see him get a 100. He’s been out injured, proud of how he’s come back. I love playing for my country, took a while to get here, domestic cricket taught a lot,” said Mitchell.
He well deserves all the accolades for the way he took on the Indian bowlers and paved the way for his side’s historic ODI series triumph.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand: Devon Conway c sharma b Rana 5, Henry Nicholls b Singh 0, Will Young c Jadeja b Rana 30, Daryl Mitchell c Yadav b Siraj 137, Glenn Phillips c Rahul b Singh 106, Michael Bracewell (not out) 28, Mitchell Hay lbw Yadav 2, Zak Foulkes c Yadav b Singh 10, Kristian Clarke b Rana 11, Kyle Jamieson (not out) 0; Extras: (B5, NB2, W1) 8. Total: (For 8 wickets in 50 overs) 337.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-5, 3-58, 4-277, 5-283, 6-286, 7-304, 8-327.
Bowling: Arshdeep Singh 10-1-63-3, Harshit Rana 10-0-84-3, Mohammed Siraj 10-0-43-1, Nitish Kumar Reddy 8-0-53-0, Kuldeep Yadav 6-0-48-1, Ravindra Jadeja 6-0-41-0.
India: Rohit Sharma c Clarke b Foulkes 11, Shubman Gill b Jamieson 23, Virat Kohli c Mitchell b Clarke 124, Shreyas Iyer c Foulkes b Clarke 3, KL Rahul c Phillips b Lennox 1, Nitish Kumar Reddy c Young b Clarke 53, Ravindra Jadeja c Young b Lennox 12, Harshit Rana c Nicholls b Foulkes 52, Mohammed Siraj c Hay b Foulkes 0, Kuldeep Yadav run out (Phillips) 5, Arshdeep Singh (not out) 4; Extras: (LB1, NB1, W6) 8. Total: (All out in 46 overs) 296.
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-45, 3-68, 4-71, 5-159, 6-178, 7-277, 8-277, 9-292.
Bowling: Kyle Jamieson 9-0-58-1, Zak Foulkes 9-0-77-3, Kristian Clarke 9-0-54-3, Jayden Lennox 10-0-42-2, Daryl Mitchell 1-0-10-0, Glenn Phillips 8-0-54-0.
