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In the absence of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer made a horrific ODI captaincy debut. In the run chase of 334, India were bowled out for a paltry 89, losing the match by 244 runs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on November 13. Matt Henry wreaked havoc with a six-wicket haul, including a triple wicket-maiden to start with. India suffered their second-heaviest ODI defeat (by runs), whereas New Zealand registered their second-biggest ODI win.
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Henry became the second New Zealand bowler to take six wickets in an ODI against India since Shane Bond in 2005. India were bowled out for 89, their sixth-lowest ODI score. It is India's lowest ODI score since 2019, when New Zealand packed them for 88 in Dambulla.
Henry hunts down India batters, Fisher strikes thrice
Henry struck with the first ball of the innings. Back after recovering from an injury, he got Rohit Sharma out for a golden duck. Then, he knocked over Virat Kohli with a delivery that kept a bit low. He followed it up by trapping skipper Iyer in front of the stumps. This is the first time in ODI history India have lost their first three wickets without scoring a run. Kyle Jamieson joined the party by dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad. He would've followed it up with Axar Patel's wicket, but Nick Kelly dropped the catch at backward point. India lost four wickets for nine runs in 5.3 overs.
Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel tried to rebuild the innings. The partnership was broken by Matthew Fisher with the wicket of Axar. He scored 21 runs from 36 balls. India lost half the side for 53 in 17.1 overs. A few overs later, Henry was brought back into the attack, and he knocked over Kishan. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 27 runs from 53 balls, featuring four fours.
Auqib Nabi did not last long at the crease. A short ball from Fisher got his wicket. He scored five runs from eight balls. Henry completed his fifer by knocking over Kuldeep Yadav. This is Henry's fourth ODI fifer and second against India. Naman Dhir tried to get India past a 100-run score. He smashed Fisher for two consecutive sixes. In the same over, he lost his wicket to a short ball. He scored 21 runs from 24 deliveries. Henry wrapped up the proceedings with the wicket of Brar. India were bowled out for 89 in 26.4 overs.
New Zealand kept the series alive after two losses from the first three games. The fifth and final ODI of the series will be played at the same venue on November 15.
“A tough one, I guess, to take that. There was a huge difference in the first innings and the second innings in terms of wicket, but also credit where it's due, the way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational,” Iyer said in the post-match presentation.
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Young scores ton, India drop catches
After Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl first, Nabi created two chances in his first over. Young was dropped by Rohit at first slip and then by wicketkeeper Kishan. Young played second fiddle to Seifert, who took on the opposition. Seifert raced to his maiden ODI fifty from 39 deliveries in the 10th over. The partnership was broken by Brar with a short ball. Seifert scored 58 runs from 48 balls in the 85-run opening partnership.
Axar got Kelly whereas Nabi dismissed Dean Foxcroft cheaply. Meanwhile, Young reached his half-century from 48 balls. Finn Allen provided acceleration in the middle overs. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep was unimpressive as he went for plenty of boundaries. Young used the sweeps and reverse sweeps against him. Axar broke the fourth-wicket partnership with Allen's wicket. He scored 41 runs from 30 balls. In the 32nd over, Young reached his 5th ODI ton from 88 balls.
In the 37th over, Iyer introduced Dhir into the attack. He delivered with Young's wicket. His knock of 125 from 108 balls was studded with 14 fours and four sixes. In the next over, Brar got Bracewell caught by Dhir at deep backward square leg for a 20-ball 15.
The dropped chances continued. Rohit put down Santner's catch in the 41st over. Santner smashes Dhir for two sixes to rub salt on the off-spinner's wounds. Arshdeep Singh ended his stay at the crease. The skipper scored 24 runs from 29 balls.
In the 46th over, New Zealand crossed the 300-run mark. Kristian Clarke contributed with a run-a-ball 22. He lost his wicket to Nabi. No boundary was scored in the penultimate over bowled by Arshdeep. Nabi bowled the final over and conceded eight runs. Henry and Fisher were run out off the last two balls in an attempt to get Jamieson on strike. New Zealand were bowled out for 333 in 50 overs.
Iyer rues dropped catches
After a massive defeat, Iyer rued dropped chances. He feels that the pitch was better to bat on in the first innings. He thought that the team would cruise to the 334-run target, but the seaming ball got the better of them. He praised Kiwi bowlers for outsmarting the batters.
“I think we tried almost everything in the first innings, the way they were playing on the rise. And we thought that the wicket was better to bat on, considering they got 330 after that. Obviously, a couple of dropped catches, but that definitely happens in a game. But yeah, when we got into the dressing room, we thought that we would be cruising through the chase as well. But the way the ball was seaming in and out, you couldn't basically decide from inside that this is how I'm going to play. Or even if you saw the wickets, no one threw the wicket away. It was good deliveries,” Iyer said after a heavy defeat.
Iyer wants the team to forget the collapse and take inspiration from the first two ODI wins before the final of the five-match series. The major positive ahead of the final for hosts is that Henry and Jamieson will be unavailable as they begin preparation for the two-Test series.
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