India won the toss and opted to bowl first
Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips tons helped New Zealand post 337-run total
Hosts dismissed for 296 despite Virat Kohli's hundred
Virat Kohli’s superlative century and Harshit Rana's boundary-rich knock fell heartbreakingly short as India slumped to their first-ever bilateral ODI series loss at home against New Zealand, going down in the deciding third ODI by 41 runs at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday (January 18, 2026).
Kohli cracked a 108-ball 124 and with Rana smashing his maiden international fifty, India seemed to be getting close to pulling off an improbable 338-run chase. But the duo's dismissals sealed the hosts' fate, especially after losing their first four wickets cheaply.
Kohli’s 124 off 108 balls was a study in controlled aggression and steely temperament. The 'chase master' shouldered the responsibility superbly, counter-punching a disciplined Kiwi attack with crisp drives, well-judged pulls and calculated risks over the ropes.
As wickets tumbled regularly at the other end, Kohli dug in, refusing to let the chase drift away, but once he fell late in the innings, India’s resistance finally gave way at 296 all out in 46 overs.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell's second consecutive hundred and Glenn Phillips' blistering century powered New Zealand to a competitive 337 for eight despite early jolts from India’s pace attack. Mitchell (137) and Phillips (106) stitched together a 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket that turned the innings on its head.
India were controlling the innings at one stage, having reduced the visitors to 58 for three but Mitchell and Phillips had other ideas. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/63) and fellow seamer Rana (3/84) claimed three wickets apiece for the hosts.
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The two teams headed into the third game with the three-match series locked 1–1 after contrasting results in the opening games.
India won the first ODI chasing 301 with Virat Kohli’s 93 anchoring the chase, but New Zealand hit back in the second ODI thanks to Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten century, setting up a winner-takes-all finale.
India Vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: Toss Update
India won the toss and opted to bowl first.
India Vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: Playing XIs
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
(With PTI inputs)
