The Indian national cricket team defeated New Zealand by 90 runs in the third and final One Day International at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Tuesday, January 24th. With this victory, India swept the ODI series 3-0 against New Zealand.
After being asked to bat first, India set a high score of 385/9, thanks to strong performances by Rohit Sharma (101) and Shubman Gill (112). The two formed a 212-run partnership at the top of the innings, dominating the New Zealand bowlers. Virat Kohli (36) and Hardik Pandya (54) also contributed to India’s total. On the New Zealand side, Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner each took 3 wickets.
In response to India’s impressive total, New Zealand struggled early on as opener Finn Allen was dismissed without scoring. However, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls stabilized the innings with a 106-run partnership. Conway went on to score a brilliant century (138) but unfortunately was unable to lead his team to victory. Despite his efforts, New Zealand ultimately fell short.
Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur played a crucial role in India’s victory as they each took three wickets, helping India to win all the matches in the ODI series against New Zealand.
After India’s successful series sweep, Yuzvendra Chahal playfully pulled Kuldeep’s ears as he was speaking with Mohammed Siraj during the post-match presentation. Chahal grabbed hold of the left-arm spinner’s ears from behind and jokingly shook his head. Fans on social media appeared to enjoy the playful banter between the two teammates, affectionately referred to as “Kul-Cha.”
It had been a while since both Chahal and Kuldeep played together in an ODI match. The last time they played together in a 50-overs match was against Sri Lanka in July 2021. Next up for India is a three-match T20I series against New Zealand, which begins on Friday, January 27th.