Virat Kohli's 74 and pacers powered India to a five-wicket victory over New Zealand (DLS method) in the rain-hit first ODI at Eden Park on Wednesday, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing a revised target of 186, India got off to a poor start as Rohit Sharma departed for a duck. Kohli joined captain Shubman Gill at the crease and steadied the innings, with the pair taking India to 54/1 in 10.5 overs before rain interrupted play. Kohli was unbeaten on 29, while Gill had made 17 when the first interruption brought play to a halt. After a delay of one hour and 11 minutes, the teams returned to the field, but only 1.1 overs could be bowled before a second spell of rain forced another interruption.
Following the second stoppage, India were set a revised target of 143 runs in 32 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
Kohli then took charge of the chase, attacking the New Zealand bowlers and keeping India on course for victory. He brought up his 80th ODI half-century and reached another significant milestone, becoming the first batter to score 13,000 runs in the format while batting at No. 3. The 74-run knock came a day before Kohli's 38th birthday. His innings eventually ended in the 20th over when he mistimed a pull shot, but he had already put India in a strong position to complete the chase.India eventually reached the revised target, finishing at 143/5 in 22.4 overs
Leading the charge with the ball 💪Anshul Kamboj bags the Player of the Match honours for his exceptional bowling performance in the 1st ODI against New Zealand 💙Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/iZN2Y53Nur#TeamIndia | #NZvIND https://t.co/8Nho0HwiKf
Earlier, India produced a disciplined bowling performance to bundle New Zealand out for 185 in 40.2 overs after Gill won the toss and elected to bowl. The visitors made good use of the pace and bounce on offer, keeping the hosts in check despite the short straight boundaries and fast outfield.
Opener Will Young (9) survived an early chance before mistiming a pull shot off Arshdeep and top-edging a catch to Shreyas Iyer in the fifth over. Henry Nicholls (9) fell to a similar dismissal in the ninth over, pulling Arshdeep straight to Naman Dhir at mid-wicket. Tim Seifert offered some resistance with 38 off 43 balls but failed to build on his start, mistiming a pull shot to mid-off in the 15th over. Tom Latham (3) followed soon after, caught sharply by Gurnoor Brar off his own bowling.
Daryl Mitchell looked comfortable during his 28-run stay before a mix-up with Glenn Phillips resulted in his run-out. Rohit Sharma's brilliant throw found Mitchell short of his ground at the striker's end. Axar Patel then troubled New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner with his spin before Anshul Kamboj removed him in unusual fashion. Santner's defensive shot sent the ball spinning back between his legs and on to the stumps.
Kamboj also accounted for Nathan Smith (1), who was dismissed by a stunning one-handed catch from Virat Kohli. Phillips, who made 30, looked capable of steering New Zealand towards a competitive total but fell to Arshdeep after holing out to Iyer at mid-off. The hosts' lower order provided some late resistance, with No. 11 Blair Tickner striking 34 off just 23 balls, including four sixes, in a 39-run last-wicket partnership with Jacob Duffy.
Arshdeep was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 4-70, while Brar returned 3-44 and Kamboj claimed 2-22.