Mount Maunganui, 13 November: Matt Henry took three wickets in the first over of India’s chase and finished with career-best ODI figures of 6/27 as New Zealand beat India by 244 runs in the fourth one-day international at Bay Oval on Friday. The result cuts India’s lead in the five-match series to 2-1 with one game left.
Will Young scored 125 off 108 balls after India chose to bowl, and New Zealand were all out for 333. India were then dismissed for 89 in 26.4 overs. In terms of runs, it is the second-heaviest defeat India have suffered in ODI cricket.
Young leads the way after India bowl first
India won the toss and put New Zealand in. Young and Tim Seifert gave the hosts a quick start, with Seifert making 58 off 48 balls.
Gurnoor Brar, Axar Patel and Auqib Nabi each picked up wickets in the middle overs and slowed the scoring for a while. Young stayed put. He found a useful partner in Finn Allen, who hit 41 off 30 balls, and the pair got the innings moving again.
Mitchell Santner (24), Kristian Clarke (22) and Kyle Jamieson, unbeaten on 19, added late runs to take New Zealand past 300. The hosts were bowled out for 333 in 50 overs, leaving India 334 to win.
Three ducks in the first over
India’s chase fell apart almost at once. Henry removed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer in the opening over, all three without scoring, and India were 0/3.
Jamieson then had Ruturaj Gaikwad out for 5, leaving India 9/4 in the sixth over. Jamieson finished with 1/12 from his spell.
Ishan Kishan (27) and Axar (21) put on 44 for the fifth wicket and gave India their only real resistance of the evening. Matthew Fisher broke the stand when he dismissed Axar, and the rest of the batting went quickly after that. Fisher ended with 3/31.
Henry came back to dismiss Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav (1) and Brar (2), completing his six-wicket haul as India were bowled out for 89.
How the series stands
India won the first two matches under the DLS method. They took the opener in Auckland on 4 November by five wickets and the second game in Wellington on 7 November by four runs. The third ODI in Hamilton on 10 November ended with no result.
Friday’s win keeps New Zealand alive in the series. The fifth and final ODI is at the same ground in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, 15 November. A win or a no result will be enough for India to take the series, while New Zealand must win to level it at 2-2.
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