Auckland, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Virat Kohli smashed 74 off 51 balls as India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in a rain-affected first ODI at Eden Park on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
India chased a revised target of 143 in 22.4 overs after their pace attack, led by Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj, bowled New Zealand out for 185 in 40.2 overs.
India suffered an early setback when Rohit Sharma fell for a six-ball duck to Kyle Jamieson. Kohli then joined skipper Shubman Gill, and the pair steadied the chase with a century partnership — their sixth 100-plus stand in 27 ODI innings together.
Kohli reached his half-century off 35 balls and struck 13 fours and a six. During his innings, he also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in ODI chases, taking his tally to 8,741 runs against Tendulkar’s 8,720.
Gill contributed 37 off 56 balls before Nathan Smith dismissed him. Kohli continued to keep India ahead before Jacob Duffy removed him for 74 and dismissed Axar Patel for a duck in the same over. Shreyas Iyer also fell for 15, but KL Rahul and Naman Dhir guided India home, with Dhir hitting the winning boundary.
Earlier, Arshdeep claimed four wickets, Gurnoor took three and Kamboj picked up two to restrict New Zealand to 185. Tim Seifert top-scored with 38, while Blair Tickner contributed 34.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 185 all out in 40.2 overs (Tim Seifert 38, 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, Shubman Gill 37; Jacob Duffy 3-49, Nathan Smith 1-21) by five wickets via DLS method.
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