India Wins 1st ODI vs New Zealand; Takes 1-0 Series Lead

Virat Kohli produced another authoritative display, supported by crucial contributions from Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Harshit Rana, as India registered a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Vadodara on Sunday.

India completed a tense chase of 301 in the penultimate over, finishing on 306 for 6 in 49 overs. KL Rahul and Washington Sundar held their nerve in the closing stages, stitching together a steady partnership to take the hosts over the line.

The Winning Shot

Prevailing in a thriller! 👏

A victory by 4⃣ wickets for #TeamIndia to take a 1⃣-0⃣ lead in the three-match series 🥳

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/OcIPHEpvjr#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBankpic.twitter.com/1pT7kPjsU3

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2026

Pursuing the target, India opened with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The innings began cautiously before Sharma broke free in the sixth over, pulling Zakary Foulkes for a six. He followed it up in the next over by taking on Kyle Jamieson, striking a six and a four. The six off Jamieson marked Sharma’s 650th maximum in international cricket.

Jamieson, however, had the final say, dismissing Sharma for 26 off 29 balls in the ninth over. India ended the powerplay at 48 for 1, with Gill and Kohli steady at the crease.

Kohli reached another significant milestone in the 13th over, driving Adithya Ashok for four to complete 28,000 international runs. He achieved the feat in just 624 innings, becoming the fastest to do so, ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (644 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (666 innings).

After a restrained start, India accelerated through the middle overs, crossing 100 in the 17th over. In the 20th over, Kohli moved past Sangakkara’s tally of 28,016 runs to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket history, trailing only Tendulkar (34,357 runs).

Also Read: Another Day, Another Milestone As Virat Kohli Goes Past Sangakkara To Become...

Both Kohli and Gill brought up their half-centuries, firmly placing India in control of the chase. Gill’s fifty was his fifth 50-plus score in just 13 ODI innings against New Zealand. The partnership was broken in the 27th over when Ashok dismissed Gill for 56, bringing vice-captain Shreyas Iyer to the middle.

Iyer counterattacked immediately, smashing Ashok for 15 runs in the 31st over. Kohli, meanwhile, continued to anchor the innings but fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed by Jamieson for 93, seven runs shy of the landmark. Ravindra Jadeja joined Iyer but was removed for four in the same over, giving Jamieson a double strike.

Jamieson struck again in the 42nd over, cleaning up Iyer for 49 and leaving India under pressure. Harshit Rana was promoted up the order and made a telling impact, scoring 29 off 23 balls. Washington Sundar then joined Rahul, and the pair guided India safely to the target.

Earlier, New Zealand posted a competitive 300 for 8 after being sent in to bat. Openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls laid a strong foundation with a 117-run stand, reaching 50 in 10.1 overs and 100 in 19.5 overs.

Nicholls was the first to fall after scoring 62 off 69 balls, which included eight fours, dismissed by Harshit Rana. Rana struck again soon after, removing Conway for 56 off 67 deliveries, an innings that featured six fours and a six. Will Young made 12 before being dismissed by Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand’s middle order was unable to fully capitalise on the solid start. Glenn Phillips fell for 12 to Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Hay was bowled by Prasidh Krishna for 18, and skipper Michael Bracewell was run out by Shreyas Iyer after making 16. Zak Foulkes managed just one run before becoming Siraj’s second victim.

Daryl Mitchell anchored the innings with a fluent 84 off 71 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, before being dismissed late by Prasidh Krishna. Kristian Clarke added valuable late runs, remaining unbeaten on 24 from 17 balls to push New Zealand to the 300-run mark.

India’s bowling effort was led by Siraj (2/40), Harshit Rana (2/65) and Prasidh Krishna (2/60), while Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 1/52.

Scores at a glance: New Zealand 300/8 in 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 84, Henry Nicholls 62; Mohammed Siraj 2/40)
India 306/6 in 49 overs (Virat Kohli 93, Shubman Gill 56; Kyle Jamieson 4/41)