Virat Kohli once again underlined his dominance in ODI cricket with a classy 93, steering India to a thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand in the first match of the three-game series at Vadodara. Chasing a challenging target of 301, India looked in control for most of the run chase before a late wobble added drama, but they eventually crossed the line with an over to spare.
New Zealand’s seamers Kyle Jamieson and Zakary Foulkes began with discipline, making run-scoring difficult early on. Rohit Sharma tried to break the shackles with a couple of towering sixes, but his aggressive start was cut short when he mistimed a shot and was caught near mid-off. From that moment, Kohli took charge. He settled in quickly, striking the ball cleanly and racing ahead while Shubman Gill gradually found his rhythm at the other end.
Once Gill joined the party with a big six off Adithya Ashok, the partnership began to flow smoothly. Both batters rotated strike well and punished loose deliveries, pushing India firmly ahead in the chase. Spin options Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips failed to slow them down, and Kohli also used the occasion to move past 28,000 international runs, overtaking Kumar Sangakkara to become the second-highest run-getter across formats.
Gill eventually departed for a fluent 56, but India still looked comfortable with Shreyas Iyer joining Kohli. The leg-spinner Ashok endured a tough spell as Iyer launched him for a six and followed it with two boundaries in one over. With the required rate well under control and Kohli closing in on another ODI century, victory seemed inevitable.
However, the game took a sudden twist when Kohli was dismissed just seven runs short of his 54th ODI hundred. Jamieson then struck twice in quick succession, removing Ravindra Jadeja and Iyer, leaving India briefly under pressure at 242/5. To make matters worse, Washington Sundar was nursing a back issue and could not run freely, forcing Harshit Rana into a crucial role with the bat.
Rana rose to the occasion, hitting important boundaries and even dispatching a slower ball from Kristian Clarke over deep midwicket. Though he fell for a valuable 29, his contribution kept India on track. Sundar hobbled through singles while KL Rahul held firm, before Rahul finished the chase in style — cracking two boundaries and then a huge six in the penultimate over to seal the win.
Earlier, New Zealand had put up a competitive 300/8 thanks largely to a strong opening stand between Henry Nicholls and Devon Conway. The pair built patiently before accelerating, reaching 104 without loss after 20 overs. Both openers brought up their half-centuries, but once they were dismissed in quick succession by Harshit Rana, India clawed their way back into the contest.
Daryl Mitchell then anchored the innings, battling through the middle overs and finding regular boundaries. Although India picked up wickets through Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna, Mitchell’s attacking 84 ensured New Zealand reached the 300-run mark.
In the end, Kohli’s brilliance and India’s composure under pressure proved decisive, giving the hosts an early edge in the series.