Ahead of India’s 4th ODI against New Zealand, Ishan Kishan and Siraj took on a fun football challenge during training. The challenge was to slot the ball perfectly in the narrow gap between two LED advertising
boards near the boundary rope. Then both players missed a series of attempts, as none of the shots came close to hitting the mark. Later on, Ishan Kishan rose to the occasion and curved the ball perfectly through the gap. He immediately began teasing Siraj as he wasn’t able to complete the challenge. Both the players shared a light-hearted moment ahead of their vital clash against New Zealand.
The duel between Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Siraj escalated with banter as both of them teased each other’s miserable attempts. The Indian batter asked Siraj if he was a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo upon seeing his terrible shots at the target. Immediately, the Indian pacer stepped up to prove his teammate right, but he ended up missing the target by a mile. However, the contest reached its climax on the sixth and final try when Kishan successfully found the target.
Ishan Kishan 🆚 Mohd. Siraj ⚽️
Putting their best ‘FOOT’ forward 😉
Who is the better striker? 🤔
#TeamIndia | #NZvIND | @ishankishan51 | @mdsirajofficial https://t.co/7OiQDtBkon
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 12, 2026
India aim to secure ODI series by winning 4th ODI at Bay Oval
India have been excellent in the ODI series against New Zealand, and they have the 2-0 lead as well. The pitch conditions of this series have been quite unfavourable for the batters, with both games being low-scoring thrillers. The uneven bounce on the pitch has caught the batters off guard, and very few batters were able to survive on the pitch. Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock under pressure in the opening game of the series. While chasing a target of 186, the Indian batter managed to score a quickfire knock of 74 off 51 balls to help India win the game.
Another major plus point for India in this series against New Zealand has been the fiery pace bowling of the side. The Indian bowling unit was criticised for their poor performance against West Indies, and this time, the pacers have really risen to the occasion. Anshul Kamboj won the Player of the Match award in the first match of the series, as he completed his 10 overs with 2 wickets and 22 runs to his name. In the 2nd match of the series, Gurnoor Brar picked up 4 wickets from his 10 overs, and the Kiwi batters weren’t able to contain the pressure.
As India’s series win remains uncertain with the 3rd ODI being washed out, the visitors would be hoping to secure a win in the 4th game of the series. The departure of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul could be a massive setback for the side, but they could manage to cope with their absence. With Ishan Kishan being appointed as the vice-captain and Shreyas Iyer the captain of the side, India would be confident of securing their third win of the series.
