Auckland: Virat Kohli produced a match-winning knock of 74 as India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the rain-affected first ODI at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday. The victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Kohli’s innings proved decisive after India’s bowlers restricted New Zealand to 185 in 40.2 overs. Following rain interruptions, India’s target was revised to 143 in 32 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. The visitors reached 143/5 in 22.4 overs to seal the win.
The Indian batter struck 13 boundaries and a six in his 51-ball innings. He also brought up his 80th half-century in ODI cricket, a day before his 38th birthday.
Virat Kohli Goes Past Sachin Tendulkar In ODI Chases
Kohli’s knock also brought him another major milestone. He moved past Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in ODI cricket while batting second.
With his 74 against New Zealand, Kohli took his tally in ODI run chases to 8,741 runs, moving ahead of Tendulkar’s 8,720. Kohli reached the mark in 169 innings across 180 matches, while Tendulkar had scored his total in 232 innings.
The latest achievement adds to Kohli’s reputation as one of the most successful run-chasers in the 50-over format.
Kohli And Shubman Gill Put India In Control
India suffered an early setback when Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Kohli then joined captain Shubman Gill at the crease, and the pair steadied the innings with a 113-run partnership for the second wicket.
Gill contributed 37 runs, while Kohli took charge of the chase with an attacking approach. Their partnership put India in a commanding position before New Zealand managed to pick up a few wickets towards the end.
India eventually reached the revised target with five wickets in hand.
Arshdeep Singh Leads India’s Bowling Attack
Earlier, India’s pace attack made regular breakthroughs to bowl New Zealand out for 185. Arshdeep Singh was the leading wicket-taker with figures of 4/70, while Gurnoor Brar claimed 3/44. Anshul Kamboj also contributed with two wickets for 22 runs.
Tim Seifert was New Zealand’s top scorer with 38 runs, while Glenn Phillips made 30. Blair Tickner added a late counter-attacking 34 off 23 balls, including four sixes, to take the hosts’ total to 185.
India’s bowlers kept the New Zealand batting line-up under pressure, setting up the chase that Kohli eventually finished in style.
The five-wicket victory gives India an early advantage in the series, with the teams set to meet in the second ODI next.
