Category: News
India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series by beating New Zealand by five wickets in a rain-hit first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, on 4 November 2026. Virat Kohli scored 74 off 51 balls and became the first batter in ODI history to score 13,000 runs at No. 3.
New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs. Rain interruptions cut India’s chase to 32 overs with a revised target of 143 under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, and India finished on 143 for 5 in 22.4 overs, with 56 balls to spare.
Kohli’s two records
Kohli walked in at No. 3 after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck, needing 12 runs to reach 13,000 ODI runs at that position. He crossed the mark early in his knock, becoming the first batter ever to score 13,000 ODI runs at No. 3. He is only the second player to score 13,000 or more runs at any single batting position in ODIs, after Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 13,685 runs as an opener.
Kohli’s 74, with 13 fours and a six, was his 80th ODI fifty. Match reports also say he passed Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in ODI run chases, reaching 8,721 runs in chases.
The knock came a day before Kohli’s 38th birthday, and it was India’s first ODI win at Eden Park since 2009.
The bowlers set it up
Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl first. Arshdeep Singh took 4 wickets for 70 runs, Gurnoor Brar took 3 for 44, and Anshul Kamboj took 2 for 22 as India’s young pace attack bowled New Zealand out for 185.
Gill scored 37 off 56 balls and added 113 runs with Kohli for the second wicket, steadying India after Rohit’s early dismissal. Kohli was dismissed by Jacob Duffy, and Naman Dhir hit the winning boundary as India completed the chase comfortably.
What comes next
The second ODI is on 7 November in Wellington, followed by the third ODI on 10 November in Hamilton. The last two matches of the five-match series are on 13 and 15 November in Mount Maunganui.
Source: cricket.com.au; ESPNcricinfo; Sportskeeda, 4–5 November 2026.
