Virat Kohli scored 74 and brought up his 80th fifty in ODIs, a day before his 38th birthday
India chased a revised target of 143 in 32 overs under the DLS method and won by five wickets
Shubman Gill made 37 and added 113 for the second wicket with Kohli to steady the chase
India beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first ODI of the five-match series on Wednesday, with Virat Kohli making 74 in a rain-hit chase. Frequent interruptions forced a reset and India’s target was revised to 143 in 32 overs under the DLS method.
Kohli’s knock anchored the chase and marked his 80th fifty in the 50-over format. The innings came a day before his 38th birthday and put India 1-0 up in the series.
Kohli-Gill Stand
Kohli and Shubman Gill then took control. Gill scored 37 and added 113 for the second wicket with Kohli, putting India firmly on course in the revised chase.
India finished at 143 for five in 22.4 overs. There was some late fumble, but the visitors still got home with room to spare.
Pace Attack Strikes
India’s seamers set up the win. Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj made full use of the overcast conditions and ripped through New Zealand’s batting.
New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs. Arshdeep led the attack with 4/70, Gurnoor took 3/44 and Anshul returned 2/22.
The conditions helped India throughout the innings. Their pace trio kept the New Zealand batters on the back foot and never allowed the hosts to build a lasting partnership.
New Zealand Resistance
New Zealand did show some fight. Opener Tim Seifert made 38 at the top and Glenn Phillips scored 30 as he tried to steady the innings.
Blair Tickner then hit back with 34 off 23 balls, including four sixes. But New Zealand still could not even cross 200.
Brief scores: New Zealand 185 all out in 40.2 overs (Tim Seifert 38, Glenn Phillips 30, Blair Tickner 34; Arshdeep Singh 4/70, Gurnoor Brar 3/44, Anshul Kamboj 2/22) lost to India 143/5 in 22.4 overs (Virat Kohli 74; Jacob Duffy 3/49)
