New Zealand and India clashed in the fifth and final ODI of the five-game series on November 15, 2026, at the Bay Oval in Mount Manganui. India came into the series with a lead of 2-1, with New Zealand winning the previous game by a record 244 runs.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and put India in to bat. Veteran Rohit Sharma (7) and Virat Kohli (5) got out early, while Ruturaj Gaikwad (22) and captain Shreyas Iyer (18) also fell cheaply.
It was Axar Patel (46) and Ishan Kishan (46) who put India on the road to a respectable total, while Naman Dhir, with 22, provided some impetus. In the end, Mohammed Siraj’s 14* and Arshdeep Singh’s two sixes in 4 balls and 14 runs powered India to 209 in 42.1 overs.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Mitchell Santner picked three wickets each, while Matthew Fisher took two wickets.
New Zealand’s chase didn’t have a batter who anchored one end. Dean Foxcroft top-scored with 31, while Nick Kelly (24), Santner (24), and Will Young (22) contributed well. However, Indian bowlers continued to keep a chokehold on the Kiwi batters, who got out at regular intervals.
In the end, Kiwis got bowled out for 187 runs and lost the game by 22 runs. Arshdeep Singh took 3/30 and was awarded the Player of the Match, while Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel picked two wickets each. With this win, India pocketed the ODI series 3-1.
Arshdeep Singh made 14 runs with two sixes, adding an important 26 runs for the final wicket. He stated that he enjoys his batting a lot and spoke about the crucial 10th-wicket partnership with Mohammed Siraj.
“I love my batting. Even if I’m batting at eleven, I enjoy it. And always trying to create room for myself and smash it. But some people on my team say that I’m scared of the ball. But I take it. I create room.
Yes, that’s the chat when we ended the batting as well. Siraj told me that these runs would be very crucial. And we made sure we went above 200, and that was a little thought in mind: we had crossed a small milestone there and had some runs to bowl at,” Arshdeep stated in the post-match presentation, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The India bowling unit was very disciplined, including the debutant Yash Thakur, who finished with 1/38 in his 10 overs. Shreyas Iyer saw that pace bowlers were getting help from the surface and kept his pacers in the attack on rotation.
“I feel like we kept coming, and we were very disciplined with our areas, and we didn’t let go of that thing even when we were not getting the results; we were not getting the wickets. But we kept bowling that and eventually got the results, and yes, we won,” Arshdeep Singh said.
Arshdeep Singh also talked about his personal life, as he recently got engaged to his girlfriend Samreen Kaur. He was also traded from Punjab Kings and will now play in IPL 2027 for Mumbai Indians.
“I mean, God has been really grateful and kind to me. I’ve got a really nice partner. She’s very supportive and always helps me stay in the right mindset. So yes, a lot of credit goes to her as well; the way I am on the field depends a lot on how I’m working off the field. So yes, it’s been very exciting, and I’m loving it,” Arshdeep stated.
India will now be facing New Zealand in two Tests, starting on November 19 in Wellington. Arshdeep Singh will head home, as India’s next home assignment will be against Sri Lanka in December.
