India beat New Zealand by five wickets under the DLS method in a rain-interrupted first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland, with Virat Kohli's 74 steering a revised chase of 143 and Anshul Kamboj taking Player of the Match for a tight, economical spell. India, who won the toss and chose to field, now lead the five-match series 1-0.
New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs, with Tim Seifert top-scoring on 38 off 43 balls after coming in for the concussed Devon Conway, and Glenn Phillips (30) and Daryl Mitchell (28) adding useful contributions in the middle. The tail gave the total some late respectability: Blair Tickner smashed 34 off just 23 balls, putting on 39 for the last wicket with Jacob Duffy, unbeaten on 15, well after India's seamers had the innings under control.
Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler on the day with 4 for 70 from his full ten overs, while Gurnoor Brar picked up 3 for 44. It was Kamboj's figures of 2 for 22 from ten overs, including two maidens, that earned him the match award — the tightest bowling line of the innings on a day when scoring freely was never easy, even before the rain arrived. Kamboj had been out of the XI in the recent past, and his man-of-the-match turn doubles as a personal comeback story.
Rain cut the match short and left India needing a revised 143 off 32 overs under the DLS method. Rohit Sharma fell for a duck in the very first over, caught by Mitchell Santner off Kyle Jamieson, but Kohli and captain Shubman Gill (37 off 56) rebuilt comfortably, and India closed out the target in 22.4 overs for the loss of five wickets, with 56 balls to spare and KL Rahul and Naman Dhir finishing the job unbeaten.
The hosts walked into the series opener without two established batters: Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman were both ruled out of the entire ODI series in the days before the match, Ravindra still managing a shoulder issue and Chapman a hamstring strain, with Henry Nicholls and Dean Foxcroft added to the squad as cover. Combined with Devon Conway's concussion opening a door for Seifert, New Zealand fielded a top order considerably less settled than the one many expected heading into the tour.
India's win puts them in control early in the five-match series, which moves on to Wellington for the second ODI before further legs in Hamilton and Mount Maunganui. Given how much of New Zealand's top-order depth is already committed to the injury list, how quickly Conway, Ravindra and Chapman can return — and whether Seifert and the recalled reinforcements can keep producing at the top of the order in the meantime — will shape how competitive the rest of the series turns out to be.
Virat Kohli's chase-anchoring 74 makes him the standout batting pick from the match, with Anshul Kamboj's economical spell adding bowling value despite the modest wicket count; Tim Seifert and Blair Tickner's cameos are worth tracking for New Zealand if their top-order injury list doesn't clear up before the second ODI.
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Scores and bowling figures in this article are verified against same-day and freshly re-checked reporting as of November 4, 2026.
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