India suffered a shocking start against New Zealand during the fourth ODI at Bay Oval. Fast bowler Matt Henry dismissed three Indian batters without conceding a run.
The dramatic opening over left India struggling at 0-3. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer all departed for ducks.
This marked the first time India had lost its opening three wickets without scoring. It was also only the fifth such incident in ODI cricket history. Pakistan had suffered the same setback twice before. Bangladesh and Australia had also experienced similar collapses.
Henry produced an outstanding opening over to put New Zealand firmly in control. His movement and accuracy troubled India’s top-order batters from the beginning. Rohit faced the first delivery of the chase. Henry generated extra bounce and seam movement, forcing the former captain into a defensive shot.
The ball took an edge and travelled towards first slip. Finn Allen completed the catch to dismiss Rohit for a golden duck. Virat Kohli walked in next but could not survive for long. Henry delivered a sharp ball that initially moved away from the batter. His next delivery came back sharply and stayed low. It passed between Kohli’s bat and pads before hitting the stumps.
Shreyas Iyer then arrived at the crease. He was leading India in place of Shubman Gill and making his ODI captaincy debut. Henry trapped Iyer with an incoming delivery. The umpire initially turned down the appeal, but New Zealand reviewed the decision. The review showed the ball would have hit the stumps, confirming Iyer’s dismissal.
The three quick wickets created an extraordinary moment in the match. Henry’s first over also revived memories of his performance against India. He had troubled India’s batting lineup during the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. Henry took three wickets during the powerplay in that match.
The collapse also marked only the second time Rohit and Kohli had both scored ducks in an ODI. The previous occasion came against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2010. Rohit also became the seventh Indian batter dismissed for a first-ball duck in an ODI innings. Former players Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag feature among those on the list.
Meanwhile, New Zealand had set India a challenging target of 334 runs. Opener Will Young led the innings with an impressive 125 from 108 deliveries. Young struck 14 boundaries and four sixes during his innings. Tim Seifert also contributed 58 runs from 48 balls.
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India managed to fight back with the ball during the innings. However, New Zealand still posted a demanding total. Henry’s remarkable opening over then changed the direction of the chase. India faced an immediate challenge after losing three key batters without scoring.
