Matt Henry produced a sensational opening spell to leave India reeling in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for ducks in a stunning three-wicket maiden
India suffered a nightmare start to their chase in the fourth ODI on Friday after their top-order batters were dismissed for ducks, with New Zealand’s Matt Henry causing a storm after he took a three-wicket maiden.
It was perhaps the craziest opening to a chase in recent history, with Henry bringing down stalwarts Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for ducks, leaving the visiting side humiliated.
Rohit 0, Kohli 0, Iyer 0!
After the Blackcaps set a 334-run target, India faced a disastrous start as Rohit was sent packing on the first ball of the over, which was his second duck of the series. Henry went on to dismiss Kohli for a duck on the fifth ball with a perfect nip-backer delivery, leaving the batter astonished by the ball’s late movement.
The Kiwi bowler capped off the over by bringing down stand-in skipper Iyer, who was dismissed via leg before wicket. Henry appealed strongly, and the umpire raised his finger, prompting the Indian skipper to walk back without scoring any run, leaving India’s scoreboard at 0/3 after the first over.
This is the first time for India that they have lost three wickets in an ODI match without scoring any runs on the board, and the fifth instance in 50-over history. Pakistan have suffered such a situation twice, while Bangladesh and Australia have done it once.
More from FirstcricketIndia sank further down
India’s troubles continued after losing Ruturaj Gaikwad for just five off 13 deliveries, with the score sinking to 9/4. It was the second time India lost their first four wickets for under ten runs in a one-day match.
The last time India had faced such a situation was back in 1984 during the famous India vs Zimbabwe World Cup clash, in which Kapil Dev delivered a match-defining 175 and stood unbeaten to help the team reach 266/8. India eventually won that match.
But in 2026, the Men in Blue failed to pull off a miracle outing after they bundled out for 89, helping the Blackcaps seal a 244-run victory and take the series 1-2.