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New Delhi: New Zealand defeated India by 41 runs in the third ODI at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18. The Kiwis registered their first-ever ODI series victory in India. Virat Kohli and Harshit Rana played brilliant knocks, but the visitors made a solid comeback to bundle India out for 296 runs in 46 overs.
This is the first defeat for India in Indore after winning seven ODI matches. This is also the first time since October 2022 that India lost a home ODI after winning the toss. The Men in Blue registered another unwanted record in the Gautam Gambhir era after losing a Test series to the same opposition in 2024, and then suffering another Test series defeat against South Africa in 2025 at home.
The Men in Blue looked in complete control of the chase when Kohli and Harshit Rana were batting in the middle. But the veteran batter fell for 124 runs while the pacer departed for 52, moments after scoring his maiden ODI half-century.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell smacked his second consecutive hundred, and Glenn Phillips also notched up a blistering ton to power New Zealand to a competitive 338-run target despite early jolts from India’s pace attack.
Mitchell and Phillips stitched a 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket that changed the match completely. The Men in Blue looked in control of the innings at one stage, after reducing the visitors to 58/3, but Mitchell and Phillips took the game away from the hosts.
Arshdeep Singh removed Henry Nicholls for a duck in the opening over. Harshit dismissed Devon Conway for five runs. He then broke the 53-run stand between Young and Mitchell by removing the latter for 30 runs. Mitchell then played brilliantly, helping the visitors to recover from early blows.
He was well supported by Phillips from the other end, who smashed his second ODI ton. Mitchell scored 137 off 131 deliveries, while Phillips amassed 106 runs off 88 balls. After their dismissal, skipper Bracewell played an explosive cameo to help the visitors post a massive total.
In reply, India got off to a shaky start as Rohit Sharma fell early for just 11 runs, while Shubman Gill was dismissed for 23 by Kyle Jamieson. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul also failed to contribute with the bat, as India slipped to 71/4.
Kohli remained focused and rotated the strike efficiently, while also punishing loose deliveries. His 88-run partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) revived India’s hopes. Kohli kept attacking the New Zealand bowlers to smash his 85th international century.
Harshit Rana played a late cameo of 52 runs off 43 balls, briefly reigniting hopes, but Kohli’s dismissal at 292/9 sealed the win for New Zealand. Foulkes and Clarke picked up three wickets each, while Jayden Lennox took two wickets.
