Virat Kohli's ton in vain as NZ stun India by 41 runs to clinch series 2-1

Virat Kohli’s 54th ODI century powered India’s chase and briefly kept the hosts alive, but it ultimately went in vain as New Zealand beat India by 41 runs to clinch the ODI series 2–1. Despite Kohli’s resistance, India fell short in a stiff chase of 338, handing the Kiwis their first-ever ODI series win in India in a bilateral contest.

Kohli walked in after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal in the fourth over and looked in complete control at the crease. However, wickets kept tumbling at the other end, with Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul departing in quick succession. Left to fight a lone battle, Kohli carried India’s hopes deep into the chase, but the target proved too steep as New Zealand held their nerve to seal a historic series victory.

After conceding 337 for eight to New Zealand, India slumped to 71 for four and could never really recover despite Kohli's record-extending 54th ODI ton, Nitish Kumar Reddy's 53 and Harshit Rana's strokeful 52.


India were bowled out for 296 in 46 overs.

Zak Foulkes (3/77) and Kristian Clarke (3/54) took six wickets between them while rookie spinner Jayden Lennox returned 2/42 from his 10 overs.

Earlier, Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106) hit tons to power New Zealand to a challenging 337 for eight in 50 overs.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand: 337 for 8 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 137, Glenn Phillips 106; Arshdeep Singh 3/63, Harshit Rana 3/84).

India: 296 all out in 46 overs (Virat Kohli 124, Nitish Kumar Reddy 53, Harshit Rana 52; Zak Foulkes 3/77, Kristian Clarke 3/54, Jayden Lennox 2/42).