Cricket: Back with Bang! India kick off 2026 with a record-extending chase against New Zealand

by Devesh Jaganath

image Cricket: Back with Bang! India kick off 2026 with a record-extending chase against New Zealand
The Indian national cricket team kicked off 2026 in style by securing a four-wicket victory over New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi on Sunday afternoon. The Men in Blue now lead the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps 1-0 heading into the second fixture in Rajkot in midweek.

King Kohli masterclass helps India to victory in 2026 opener 

After defeating South Africa 2-1 and 3-1 in their ODI and T20I series, respectively, last month, India got the New Year off to a winning start by confirming our cricket predictions with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi on Sunday afternoon. 

The Black Caps got off to an excellent start, with Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls putting on an opening stand of 117/1, while Daryl Mitchell played a blinder at number four, scoring 84 runs off just 71 deliveries to help his side to a formidable total of 300/8 in their 50 overs. 

With Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh both left out of the squad, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana shared the new ball and picked up two wickets apiece, while the ultra-consistent Prasidh Krishna bagged 2-60 in nine overs. 

New Zealand got an early breakthrough, dismissing Rohit Sharma for 26 in the ninth over, but skipper Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli then steadied the ship with a 108-run partnership. Kohli went on to score 93 in 91 balls before falling to Kyle Jamieson in the 40th over. 

However, India’s middle order stepped up impressively, with Shreyas Iyer (49 off 47), Kl Rahul (29* off 21) and Harshit Rana (29 off 23) all delivering crucial contributions to steer the Men in Blue to victory with an over to spare and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. 

India create history with 20th chase of 300+ runs in ODIs

India have been the most formidable team in limited overs cricket for a few years now, and this latest victory marked their eighth ODI win in succession against New Zealand since 2023 and their eighth on the trot against the Black Caps on home soil. 

Additionally, the victory at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi was a historic one for the Indian team, as it extended their record for the most successful chases of 300+ runs in the 50-over format to a staggering 20 times. 

The next-closest team to this record is England, who have recorded 15 wins chasing down 300+ runs in ODIs, while Australia sit third in the list with 14 such chases. India and New Zealand will now head to Rajkot for the second of their three ODIs on Wednesday morning.