India vs New Zealand 1st ODI: Kohli 74 as India win by 5 wickets

India beat New Zealand by five wickets under the DLS method in the rain-hit first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday (4 November), going 1-0 up in the five-match series. Virat Kohli led the chase with 74 off 51 balls after India’s bowlers dismissed the hosts for 185.

Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl, and the pacers made full use of a lively pitch. Arshdeep Singh took 4 for 70, Gurnoor Brar 3 for 44 and Anshul Kamboj 2 for 22 from his 10 overs. Kohli held two catches, including a one-handed grab at second slip to send back Nathan Smith. Tim Seifert top-scored for New Zealand with 38.

New Zealand were 146 for 9 before Blair Tickner (34 off 23 balls, with four sixes) and Jacob Duffy (15 not out) added 39 for the last wicket. “Loving the weather here and there is good purchase off the surface. After coming from the subcontinent, when you see some life in the wickets, it’s always a pleasure. And yeah, the wind is helping as well,” Arshdeep said after the innings.

India lost Rohit Sharma for a duck off the last ball of the first over, caught by Mitchell Santner off Kyle Jamieson. Rain then stopped play more than once, and India’s target was revised under the DLS method to 143.

Kohli and Gill took charge after that, adding 113 for the second wicket. Kohli reached his 80th ODI fifty in 35 balls and hit 13 fours and a six, while Gill made 37 off 56. According to Cricbuzz, the innings took Kohli past Sachin Tendulkar for the most runs in ODI chases, 8,741 to Tendulkar’s 8,720.

Jacob Duffy then struck three times, removing Kohli, Axar Patel for a duck and Shreyas Iyer for 15 to leave India at 136 for 5. Naman Dhir finished the match by pulling Nathan Smith for four in the 23rd over, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 3. Duffy finished with 3 for 49.

The win comes days after the T20I series between the two sides ended. As The Indian Idiot reported earlier, India took that series 3-2 despite losing the fifth match in Hamilton.