Virat Kohli struck a fine 74 as India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first ODI in Auckland on Wednesday. Rain interrupted the match several times, but India completed the chase with 56 balls to spare.
Kohli hit 13 fours and a six in his innings. He also shared a 113 run partnership with captain Shubman Gill, who scored 37.
India were chasing New Zealand’s total of 185, but repeated rain delays reduced their target to 143 from 32 overs. The visitors reached the target in 22.4 overs.
The match began with a 20 minute delay due to rain. India then lost Rohit Sharma for a duck in the first over.
Kohli and Gill steadied the innings before rain stopped play again with India on 56 for one in the 11th over. The revised target initially stood at 167 from 40 overs. Another shower later reduced it to 143 from 32 overs.
Kohli continued to attack after the breaks and brought up his 80th ODI half century. It was also his sixth score of 50 or more in 10 matches this year. The former India captain fell with the score on 124. KL Rahul and Naman Dhir then guided India home.
Earlier, New Zealand struggled after India chose to bowl first. Arshdeep Singh led the attack with four wickets for 70 runs. Gurnoor Brar took three for 44, while Anshul Kamboj claimed two for 22.
Tim Seifert top scored among New Zealand’s specialist batters with 38. Glenn Phillips made 30, while Daryl Mitchell contributed 28. The hosts lost wickets regularly and failed to build strong partnerships.
However, Blair Tickner added some late runs with an aggressive 34 from 23 balls. He struck four sixes and shared a 39 run partnership for the final wicket with Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs. The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the five match ODI series, with Kohli producing another important innings a day before his 38th birthday.
