India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first One Day International at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, completing a rain-revised chase of 143 in 32 overs in only 22.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, CricToday reported. Virat Kohli made 74 off 51 balls with 13 fours and a six, and captain Shubman Gill made 37 off 56 balls with five boundaries; KL Rahul and Naman Dhir were unbeaten when India crossed the finish line.

Source: CricToday

Earlier, Gill won the toss and chose to field, and his bowlers bowled New Zealand out for 185 in 40.2 overs, according to the Sportskeeda scorecard. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh led the attack with 4 for 70 in 10 overs, Gurnoor Brar took 3 for 44 and Anshul Kamboj 2 for 22, with one batter run out. Tim Seifert top-scored for the hosts with 38 off 43 balls, while Blair Tickner made a late 34 off 23 balls and Glenn Phillips 30.

Source: Sportskeeda scorecard

Kohli's catch, then Kohli's chase

Kohli also produced the fielding highlight of the innings — a full-stretch, one-handed catch at second slip off Kamboj to dismiss Nathan Smith for 1, leaving New Zealand at 115 for 7 in the 29th over, the scorecard showed. Rain breaks then cut India's chase: set 186 originally, India were given a revised Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target of 143 in 32 overs, CricToday reported.

Source: Sportskeeda scorecard

On resumption Kohli attacked at once, racing to his half-century off 35 balls — his 80th fifty in ODIs and his second-fastest fifty in away ODIs, Sportskeeda reported — before falling for 74. Gill anchored the other end, and Rahul and Dhir finished the chase with 9.2 overs to spare under the revised target.

Source: Sportskeeda

What happens next: India lead the five-match ODI series 1-0, and the teams meet again in the second ODI of the tour. New Zealand will need a stronger batting show after being bowled out inside 41 overs in the opener, while India will take confidence from a bowling attack in which all three wicket-taking pacers contributed and from Kohli's form at the top of the chase.

Source: CricToday