IND vs NZ, 1st ODI: Virat Kohli 'out-shines' in Vadodara as Men in Blue kick start 2026 with win
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs NZ, 1st ODI: Virat Kohli 'out-shines' in Vadodara as Men in Blue kick start 2026 with win")
IND vs NZ, 1st ODI: Virat Kohli 'out-shines' in Vadodara as Men in Blue kick start 2026 with win Photograph: (BCCI X)
Riding on an excellent 93-run knock from Virat Kohli, India chased a 301-run target in 49 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli and Team India kick-started 2026 with a bang as they beat New Zealand by four wickets on Sunday (Jan 11) in Vadodara. Riding on an excellent 93-run knock from Virat, India chased a 301-run target in 49 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. Shreyas Iyer also made an eye-catching return to the ODI format, scoring 49 while Shubman Gill scored 56.
Virat outshines in Vadodara
Having ended 2025 with some impressive innings, it was the same story for Virat at the start of 2026. He came out to bat after India lost Rohit Sharma for 26 in the ninth over. Virat’s innings was then the feature of the show as he and Gill stitched a stand of 188 runs before the latter was dismissed. Shreyas Iyer then joined the party as he scored 49 runs before getting out while India were in a good position in the chase.
Iyer, like Virat, also missed out on a feat as he was dismissed for 49 by Kyle Jamieson. However, India were already in pole position to win the match with Virat nearing his ton, but fortune had other ideas as he was sent back pacing on 93 runs by Jamieson.
Harshit Rana (29) and KL Rahul (unbeaten 29) played crucial knocks down the order to seal India’s win in the opening contest of the three-match series. Jamieson ended with four wickets but could not help his side prevent a defeat.
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What happened in the match?
At the time of writing, at mid-innings break, New Zealand posted 300/8 in their 50 overs with Daryl Mitchell top scoring. He scored 84 runs off 71 deliveries while opening batters Devon Conway (56) and Henry Nicholls (62) were also amongst the runs for the visitors. The opening pair put together a stand of 117 runs for the opening wicket before Nicholls was dismissed by Harshit Rana. India then made a storming comeback with the ball, reducing New Zealand to 239/7.
Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna all ended with two wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav also got a scalp.
