Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The ODI series between India and New Zealand ended in a 2-1 victory for the visitors, leaving the hosts searching for answers. India won the opening match but lost the second and third games, allowing New Zealand to seal a rare series triumph. During the post-match presentation at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, several Indian players and support staff wore dejected expressions, including head coach Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana.The disappointment spilled into the stands after the third ODI, where chants of “Gambhir haaye haaye” were allegedly heard from a section of the crowd as the team assembled on the field. The players appeared taken aback by the reaction.
The series loss has added pressure on Gambhir, who has now overseen another home series defeat during his tenure. It also underlined New Zealand’s growing confidence in Indian conditions. With the 2-1 result, the Black Caps won an ODI series in India for the first time in 37 years, following their 3-0 Test series whitewash against India last year.India, however, have little time to dwell on the setback. The focus shifts to the shortest format, with a five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting Wednesday as part of the final build-up to the T20 World Cup. With less than three weeks remaining, the series serves as a vital dress rehearsal.The spotlight will be on captain Suryakumar Yadav. Since taking over as India’s T20I skipper in 2024, he has led the side to a winning percentage above 72, even as his batting form has remained under scrutiny. Playing at home, with expectations of defending the T20 World Cup title again.WATCH:IND vs NZ T20I Full Schedule:1st T20I: Jan 21 in Nagpur from 7 PM IST2nd T20I: Jan 23 in Raipur from 7 PM IST3rd T20I: Jan 25 in Guwahati from 7 PM IST4th T20I: Jan 28 in Visakhapatnam from 7 PM IST5th T20I: Jan 31 in Thiruvanthapuram from 7 PM ISTIND vs NZ T20I Squads:India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, , Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana. New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Devon Conway, Bevon Jacobs, , Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodi, Zak Foulkes, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Kristian Clarke
