Virat Kohli’s rare failure to finish off a chase didn’t come to hurt India as they started 2026 with a nervy-win against New Zealand. Kohli’s 93 was enough in the end as a mini-collapse in the middle didn’t affect the hosts as they were able to shut out a spirited show from New Zealand.
India appeared to be cruising to the win before Kohli fell and it allowed the visitors to be back in the contest. However, Harshit Rana’s spirited effort with the bat and KL Rahul’s calmness helped India secure a four-wicket win on Sunday, January 11.
India were given a tough target of 301 runs to chase in their first assignment of 2026 on a track that had a lot of runs on offer in Kotambi. However, there was a lot of focus on the top three with Rohit Sharma and Kohli in form, while Shubman Gill coming in after his T20 World Cup snub and an injury.
Like always, it was Rohit who started to get the boundaries flowing by taking on a Blackcaps attack that lacked the guile of Matt Henry and the speed of Lockie Ferguson. Gill was more conservative in his approach early on, with Rohit looking to maximise the powerplay overs.
IND vs NZ 1ST ODI: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
The former Indian skipper scored 26 off 29 balls and his innings consisted of three boundaries and two sixes, before throwing away the start by going for another big shot. This brought out Kohli to the middle and there was a sense of a switch in energy in the ground.
Often, Kohli has always been slow with his starts, but the new version of the star batter seems to be a new beast. He started to attack the inexperienced Kristian Clark and Aditya Ashok and hit a couple of boundaries of both men.
Gill started to get confidence from this and started to flex his muscles as well and both men not only steadied the ship after the Rohit dismissal, but put India well ahead. Kohli needed 41 runs to become the second-highest run-getter in international cricket, and he got there with relative ease in the end.
He got to his fifty in 44 balls and it seemed like he was going to be the man to ensure that the chase was settled. Gill quietly settled in and got to his half-century off 66 balls, but the Indian captain seemingly had a back issue.
As is often the case with stoppage in play, a lapse of concentration led to Gill’s downfall as he was dismissed for 56.
Another comeback man came to the field in the form of Shreyas Iyer, as India needed another partnership. The Indian vice-captain had a streaky start but he took apart Aditya Ashok in the 31st over for a six and two boundaries and the run-rate was back on track after some quiet overs.
This allowed Kohli to ensure he wasn’t held down with a boundary and a six and raced into the 90s as the Baroda crowd waited for another hundred. Like a Hollywood movie, it seemed like the perfect setting for a plot twist, and Kohli perished for 93 as Bracewell held on for a great catch.
With Sundar struggling with a side strain, Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat at No.5 and the move proved to be a disaster. Jadeja fell for four runs in the same over and India were in trouble. Jamieson was tipped to be the leader of the bowling attack for the Blackcaps, and he put another dent with Shreyas being cleaned up as India still needed 59 off 53 balls.
Sundar couldn’t come out to bat and that meant Harshit was at the crease. The pacer has wanted to flex his all-round skills in recent times and he started to keep India in the chase, but it contained some nervy moments. Mitchell dropped him in the 44th over and Harshit was ready to make it count at that time.
Rahul remained quiet and allowed Harshit to swing, and he got a six away to ensure the equation remained in India’s control with five overs remaining. He kept swinging and looking for runs and got a boundary in cut the deficit to 22 off 23 balls before being finally dismissed for 29 off 23 balls.
Sundar came in, but he was unable to run effectively, adding to the drama and tension on the field. Ashok dropped Sundar at a crucial juncture as the equation became 12 off 12 balls. Rahul released the pressure with a timely boundary to get India closer to the win and hit another to bring the scores level. Then a six was all that was needed and India survived a major scare.
NEW ZEALAND BATTING THEIR STRENGTH
Earlier in the day, India won the toss and decided to put New Zealand into bat. The visitors had come with a rather inexperienced side but Michael Bracewell had faith in the batting lineup to deliver during the three-match series.
They got the ideal start as Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls started to take the attack to the Indian bowlers. Once the teams were announced, a lot of noise was around the exclusion of Arshdeep Singh and it felt like it was justified as Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna looked to be at sea. The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar was also unable to provide the breakthrough.
Conway and Nicholls got to their fifties and Gill went back to Harshit to provide the breakthrough. The pacer did just that ending the opening stand at 117 with the wicket of Nicholls. Harshit then got the better of Conway as the wickets started to tumble for the visitors and the momentum started tether away.
Daryl Mitchell often has been the saviour for Blackcaps in India and he continued his fine form against the Indian side, but the issue was finding partners at the other end. Will Young, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Hay all got starts but failed to convert them as New Zealand were reduced to 198 for five within the 38th over.
Much like Mitchell, Bracewell also has fond memories of playing in India and he played the reliable partner role as the duo added 39 runs off 33 balls. By this time, Mitchell started to take on the bowlers and 84 off 71 balls. This is when Prasidh Krishna got the prizes scalp to stem the run flow and ensure no further damage was done.
Kristian Clark scored a handy cameo of 24 off 17 balls to get the Blackcaps to 300.
– Ends
