India’s young bowling attack produced a superb performance to bowl New Zealand out for just 134 in the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday. It was New Zealand’s lowest all-out total at home against India in ODI cricket.Gurnoor Brar led the attack with four wickets, while Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel also made important contributions. The Indian bowlers used the conditions well and never allowed the New Zealand batters to settle.Brar (4/30 in 10 overs) troubled the home batters with his pace and bounce. Nabi (2/31 in seven overs) got the ball to move off the pitch, while Kamboj (2/25 in eight overs) continued to bowl with control.Arshdeep Singh (0/16 in seven overs) was also impressive with the ball. He kept things tight and gave the New Zealand batters very little room to score.The Indian bowlers bowled as many as 176 dot balls, putting New Zealand under constant pressure.
New Zealand record lowest home total against India
New Zealand’s 134 was their lowest all-out total at home against India in ODI cricket.Their previous lowest was 142 in Auckland in 1994, when India won the match by seven wickets.The list also includes New Zealand’s 157 all out in Napier in 2019 and 168 in Wellington in 2003.Lowest all-out totals for New Zealand at home against India in ODIs:
| Score | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 134 | Wellington | 2026 |
| 142 | Auckland | 1994 |
| 157 | Napier | 2019 |
| 168 | Wellington | 2003 |
| 185 | Auckland | 2026 |
New Zealand have now been bowled out for fewer than 200 runs in consecutive ODIs against India. The last time they were bowled out for under 200 in back-to-back ODIs within a series was in January-February 2001 against Sri Lanka.
New Zealand suffer early collapse
India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first. The match was reduced to 47 overs per side after rain delayed the start.Auqib gave India an early breakthrough when Tim Seifert was dismissed for a duck. Seifert tried to play a drive but failed to control the shot. Anshul Kamboj took a good diving catch at mid-wicket to give Auqib his first international wicket.Will Young also struggled to score runs. He made just six off 17 balls before Arshdeep dismissed him with a delivery that moved away after pitching and took the outside edge.Henry Nicholls was the next batter to go. The left-hander scored 11 off 26 balls before Kamboj bowled him in the ninth over. The Haryana pacer came slightly wide of the crease and bowled a delivery that did not give Nicholls enough room to play his shot.New Zealand were struggling at 29/3 at the end of the first powerplay.
Gurnoor Brar tears through middle-order
After the early damage, Brar took charge and made life even more difficult for the New Zealand batters.The tall pacer picked up two wickets in a maiden over after the powerplay. He first dismissed Tom Latham with a wide short-pitched delivery. The New Zealand captain had to reach out for the ball and could only offer an easy catch.Brar then bowled a short ball directly at Glenn Phillips, who also failed to control his shot. Both batters were caught, leaving New Zealand in deep trouble at 53/5.Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner tried to bring the innings back on track with a 59-run partnership.Mitchell scored 55 off 104 balls, while Santner made 31 off 38 deliveries. Mitchell had earlier been dropped by Gill and made the most of the opportunity to score a half-century.However, Axar Patel broke the partnership by dismissing Mitchell. The New Zealand batter tried to play a lofted drive but mistimed it and was caught.Brar then returned to dismiss Santner. The New Zealand captain tried to make room for another short ball but Brar bowled a fuller delivery. Santner got a thick edge and KL Rahul completed a simple catch behind the stumps.
