India suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval.
Team India suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat in the fourth ODI against New Zealand at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Friday (November 13).
Invited to bat first, the hosts posted 333 all out in 50 overs. Opener Will Young anchored the innings with a dominant 125 off 108 balls, capitalizing on two dropped catches early in his knock. He was supported by aggressive half-century stands alongside Tim Seifert (58) and Finn Allen (41).
Kiwi pacer Matt Henry dismantled India's chase in the very first over with a triple-wicket maiden, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer all for ducks. It marked the first time in ODI history that India lost their top three batters without a run on the board.
Henry returned with career-best ODI figures of 6 for 27 in 9.4 overs as India’s folded innings folded for a mere 89 in 26.4 overs.
After the game, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar made a lighthearted joke on India’s batting collapse, stating that had there been a follow-on, fans would've got to see Kohli and Rohit bat once again during the match.
"They have won by 244 runs. It's a massive win. We were sitting in the lounge and making fun. Had there been a follow-on, we would have got one more chance to watch Rohit and Virat. However, one more match is left," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
Gavaskar commended the Black Caps bowlers, endorsing Shreyas Iyer's assessment that Indian batters did not throw their wickets away and it was simply great bowling on display.
"The bowling was exceptional, given the line and length Matt Henry bowled and the way he was moving the ball, and he was also bowling an odd bouncer. It wasn't easy to bat. As Shreyas said, no one threw their wicket. They got out to good balls, and it happens at times," he added.
Gavaskar defended Rohit’s golden duck, arguing that the ball from Matt Henry was virtually unplayable. He compared Henry’s opening delivery to the lethal outswing Kapil Dev bowled during the first three or four years of his career.
"He got squared up totally. Kapil (Dev) used to bowl such balls. When he started, he had such good outswing for the first three or four years that big players used to get squared up totally. It was such a good ball, and that too the first ball," Gavaskar stated.
"Your footwork might have worked a little had it been the fifth or sixth ball, and you might have gotten a little idea about how the ball was going from the pitch. So a little adjustment could have been made. However, that's the problem for opening batters. At times, the ball moves so much in the first one or two overs that you have no chance," he remarked.