New Zealand’s Matt Henry reduced India to 0-3 by inflicting ducks on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer during a stunning first-over triple-wicket-maiden as the tourists crumpled to 89 all out in a 244-run thrashing in the fourth ODI.
Chasing 334 in Mount Maunganui to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, India’s reply got off to a dreadful start when seamer Henry’s first delivery squared up Rohit and induced an edge to Finn Allen in the slip cordon.
Kohli survived the next three balls, although the first whistled past his outside edge, only to then be bowled by a nip-backer that kept low from the fifth delivery of Henry’s over.
New Zealand’s Matt Henry bagged career-best ODI figures with 6-27 at Bay Oval
The Kiwi bowler, who earned his best ODI figures of 6-27, then trapped India captain Shreyas lbw with the final ball of the over, to set India on their way to their second-heaviest ODI defeat, after the 245-run drubbing by Sri Lanka in Sharjah in October 2000.
Henry was unable to complete a hat-trick with Ishan Kishan seeing off the first delivery of the 34-year-old’s second over – another nip-backer which rattled Kishan on the thigh pad, too high for a genuine lbw appeal – but he went on to bowl the same batter for 27 in the 21st over when the left-hander inside-edged onto his leg stump.
Henry also castled tailenders Kuldeep Yadav and Gurnoor Brar as India were bundled out for their sixth-lowest ODI total, going down in just 26.4 overs at Bay Oval.
The bowler said: “With the way the wind was going, I wasn’t too worried about the swing. From ball one it was just about trying to bring the stumps in play, really.
“We knew that there was a small window there with the new ball that you could put the ‌batters under pressure, so it’s just trying to be as simple as possible.
“When it moves sharply like that in the first over, when people are facing first balls, it’s pretty tough.”
Earlier, Will Young top-scored for the Black Caps in their 333 all out with 125 from 108 balls, having been dropped on five twice in as many balls off the bowling of Auqib Nabi, first by Rohit at slip and then by wicketkeeper Kishan.
New Zealand – who lost the preceding T20I series 3-2 – will now look to square the ODI series at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, after suffering defeats in Auckland and Wellington and then seeing the third match in Hamilton washed out.
The Kiwis will then host India in two Tests, starting in Wellington on November 19 ahead of a second fixture in Christchurch from November 27.
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