New Zealand stunned India by 41 runs on Sunday (January 18) to win the third and final ODI of the three-match series. In the series decider played at Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Kiwis posted a total
of 337/8 in 50 overs after Indian skipper Shubman Gill invited them to bat first, and then the visitors bowled out the hosts for 296 in 46 overs. Batting superstar Virat Kohli scored 124 runs from 108 balls, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana also slammed their maiden ODI fifties, but despite that, India failed to chase down the target.
The defeat in the third ODI means that for the first time in history, Team India has lost an ODI series at home against the Black Caps.
In 2024, New Zealand won a Test series in India, and now they have defeated the world No. 1 ODI side in an ODI series as well. That too with a squad which was missing many top players.
The ODI series defeat has entered Shubman Gill’s name in an unwanted list. The 26-year-old right-handed batter from Punjab becomes the first Indian ODI captain to lose a home series against the Black Caps.
Result of India-New Zealand ODI series (in India)
| YEAR | WINNER | MARGIN | LOSER | INDIA CAPTAIN |
| 1988 | India | 4-0 | New Zealand | Dilip Vengsarkar |
| 1995 | India | 3-2 | New Zealand | Mohammad Azharuddin |
| 1999 | India | 3-2 | New Zealand | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 2010 | India | 5-0 | New Zealand | Gautam Gambhir |
| 2016 | India | 3-2 | New Zealand | MS Dhoni |
| 2017 | India | 2-1 | New Zealand | Virat Kohli |
| 2023 | India | 3-0 | New Zealand | Rohit Sharma |
| 2026 | New Zealand | 2-1 | India | Shubman Gill |
Kohli creates history
World No. 1 ODI batter Virat Kohli now holds the record for scoring the most centuries in ODIs as well as in international cricket against New Zealand. The 37-year-old right-handed batter from Delhi scored his 7th ODI century for India against the Black Caps on Sunday.
In the list of batters with the most ODI centuries vs New Zealand, Kohli is followed by India’s Virender Sehwag and Australia’s Ricky Ponting. Both Sehwag and Ponting scored six ODI centuries each against the Black Caps.
In international cricket (Tests+ODIs+T20Is), Kohli now has 10 centuries to his name in 60 ODIs against New Zealand. He is followed by Jacques Kallis, Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar, who have slammed 9 centuries each.
