India Holds New Zealand to 185 in Auckland
Five Indian bowlers combined to dismiss the Black Caps in 40.2 overs during the first of five one-day internationals.
By James Brooks ·
New Zealand was bowled out for 185 on Wednesday at Eden Park in Auckland. India restricted the hosts to that total in 40.2 overs in the first of five scheduled one-day internationals. The visitors utilized five different bowlers to dismantle the New Zealand lineup despite the short boundaries and fast outfield at the venue.
India captain Shubman Gil deployed a varied attack that included pace and spin. Arshdeep Patel and Auqib Nabi used the pitch early, while Anshul Kamboj provided accuracy later in the innings. Gurnoor Brar offered additional pace, and Axar Patel controlled the middle overs with spin. Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, struggled against Patel, who bamboozled him before Kamboj eventually dismissed him.
Arshdeep led the bowling figures with four wickets for 70 runs. His figures were affected by the aggressive batting of tailender Blair Tickner. Brar took three wickets for 44 runs, and Kamboj claimed two for 22. Will Young and Henry Nicholls both fell to pull shots, top-edging catches to Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir respectively. Tim Seifert scored 38 off 43 balls before mistiming a pull shot to mid-off in the 15th over.
Tom Latham was dismissed for three runs after Brar took a reflex catch off his own delivery. Daryl Mitchell was run out for 28 after a throw by Rohit Sharma beat him to the striker's end. Nathan Smith fell to a one-handed catch by Virat Kohli off Kamboj. Glenn Phillips, who had reached 30, holed out to Iyer at mid-off to end his innings.
Blair Tickner provided a late burst for New Zealand. He scored 34 runs from 23 balls, including four sixes. He formed a 39-run partnership with Jacob Duffy. The New Zealand batting order failed to establish substantial partnerships throughout the innings. India's lineup included Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, all of whom returned after missing the recent T20 series that India won by three games to two.
Kohli, who is one day away from turning 38, demonstrated his athleticism in the field. The match serves as the opening contest of the five-match ODI series between the two nations. India's bowling unit maintained pressure throughout the 40 overs, limiting New Zealand's scoring opportunities despite the venue's conditions.
