Virat Kohli Sets Records in India's Rain-Interrupted ODI Win Over New Zealand

India secured a five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, following a rain-interrupted match. After dismissing the hosts for 185 runs in 40.2 overs, the visitors successfully chased down a revised Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target of 143 in 22.4 overs.

Veteran batting star Virat Kohli delivered a standout performance, scoring 74 runs off just 51 deliveries. Kohli brought up his half-century in 35 balls, marking his 80th ODI fifty and a rare world record as the first player to complete 50 scores of 50 or more in away One Day Internationals. He also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing milestone for the most runs in ODI chases, moving his tally to 8,722 runs.

The 37-year-old batsman, playing his first ODI in New Zealand since 2020, received a warm standing ovation from the Auckland crowd as he walked back to the pavilion following his dismissal. His aggressive knock, featuring signature cover drives and wristy strokes, helped anchor the innings alongside captain Shubman Gill, who contributed 37 runs off 54 deliveries after opening partner Rohit Sharma fell for a duck.

New Zealand struggled to build momentum during their innings after Gill opted to field first. The Black Caps were bowled out for 185, with strong bowling performances from the pace duo of Arshdeep Singh, who claimed four wickets for 70 runs, and Gurnoor, who took three wickets for 44 runs.

Following the match, former cricketer Irfan Pathan offered advice to 30-year-old pacer Auqib Nabi regarding his bowling approach in white-ball cricket. Pathan noted that while Nabi bowls effectively in red-ball formats, he needs to hit the pitch harder in ODIs to generate more movement.

Pathan remarked in a video on his YouTube channel, 'When he plays red-ball cricket, he kisses the ball onto the pitch. However, when he plays ODI or white-ball cricket, he will have to hit the ball a little harder into the pitch.' He added that slight adjustments could make Nabi's role easier as the seamer seeks to establish himself in the national team setup.

The second ODI between India and New Zealand is scheduled to take place at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, November 7.