CHENNAI: It's an open secret that India in ODIs are a top-heavy side. Their trio of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have each struck at over hundred in this format since November 20, 2023 — a day after they lost the ODI World Cup final against Australia.
With skipper Gill not in the playing XI as he along with a few other Test regulars are preparing for the upcoming two-match series, the visitors had a new opening pair of Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad when they came out to chase a formidable target of 334 against New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Mount Maunganui on Friday.
What turned out next was a spectacle as pacer Matt Henry delivered one of the best opening overs in the history of the format, sending back Sharma, Kohli and interim captain Shreyas Iyer with not a single run on the scoreboard.
Henry evoked the previous memories of the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal where India were reduced to 3/5 inside four overs in their chase of 240 runs. He also ended the contest in a span of six deliveries. And that's where the problem lies for India. Being a top-heavy side is like a double-edged sword. No total is insurmountable if the top-order gets going but if they fail — like they did on Friday — the team could collapse.
And rightly so, India head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed concern over his batters' dismal show after the match. "You're always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd. Why won't I be concerned? These are conditions which are going to be closest to what we might get during the World Cup," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference. "The bigger concern is not the runs. It's how quickly we got bundled out, around 26 or 27 overs. That is something which is always a concern," he added.
Henry missed most of the T20Is with a leg injury and the first three ODIs (3rd one got washed out) due to fears of concussion after a collision with Devon Conway on the eve of the series. The 34-year-old right-arm pacer stayed back for the fourth ODI to prove his fitness ahead of the two-Test series starting on November 19. Six balls later, he not only proved his fitness but also sent out a warning to Gill and Co on what lies in store for them when the Test series begins.
The first one was a back of good length ball that reared on Sharma, squaring him up completely before taking an edge to first slip. The second one to Kohli was a fuller one, seaming away and missing the outside edge by a whisker. The fifth one nipped in and kept low, surprising Kohli as his stumps were rattled. Iyer was next and he too got one that nipped back and struck the batter on his back pad. Umpire Kumara Dharmasena was not convinced but New Zealand rightly reviewed it and they were right.
India never recovered from that first-over shock as Henry finished with a six-wicket haul from his 9.4 overs. The loss by 244-run is India's second biggest in terms of runs but more than that it exposed their middle-order, which came a cropper.
Earlier, opener Will Young and Tim Seifert gave the hosts a good start as they stitched together 85 runs for the first wicket. In a way India aided them as they dropped two back-to-back catches of eventual centurion Young in the very second over bowled by Auqib Nabi. The batter was on five then and went on to score 125 runs from 108 balls. The win also helped New Zealand keep the series alive with the fifth and last ODI scheduled at the same venue on Sunday.
Brief scores: NZ 333 in 50 ovs (Young 125, Seifert 58; Patel 2/39) bt India 89 in 26.4 ovs (Henry 6/27, Fisher 3/31).
Loss in numbers
2nd
The 244-run loss is India's second biggest in ODIs. Sri Lanka beat them by 245 runs in the Champions Trophy final in 2000 — their biggest-ever loss in terms of runs
6th
Total of 89 is India's 6th lowest in ODIs
1st
For the 1st time, India lost three wickets in an ODI without a run on the board. Overall they became the fourth team to suffer this.