India's pace attack and a dominant half-century from Virat Kohli guided the visitors to a 1-0 series lead over New Zealand in a rain-affected One-Day International at Eden Park on Wednesday.
Opting to bowl on a bouncy surface, India’s seamers dismantled New Zealand's batting lineup, dismissing the hosts for 185 in 40.2 overs. Anshul Kamboj delivered a disciplined spell of 2 for 22 in his 10 overs, supported by four wickets from Arshdeep Singh (4/70) and three from Gurnoor Brar (3/42). Tim Seifert top-scored for New Zealand with 38 runs while India's athletic fielding highlighted by a sharp diving run-out by Rohit Sharma and a one-handed slip catch from Kohli kept the pressure on the hosts.
Frequent rain interruptions subsequently revised India's target in a shortened chase. Kohli anchored the innings with a brilliant 74 off 51 balls, showcasing classic drives and pull shots. Captain Shubman Gill provided steady support despite a late mid-innings collapse of four wickets for 22 runs.
India comfortably reached the revised target with nearly 10 overs to spare, securing a decisive victory ahead of the remaining matches in the series.
Scorecard: India 143 for 5 (Kohli 74, Gill 37, Duffy 3-49) beat New Zealand 185 (Seifert 38, Arshdeep 4-70, Gurnoor 3-44) by five wickets (by DLS method).
