Kohli Ton Not Enough; Gill Wants Improvement After NZ Series Loss

INDORE- New Zealand overcame a valiant 124 off 108 balls from Virat Kohli to clinch a 41-run victory and seal a historic 2-1 ODI series win at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 18, marking their first-ever bilateral ODI series triumph on Indian soil.

Knocks of 137 and 106 from Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips took New Zealand to a commanding 337/8 on a two-paced black soil pitch, before the visitors held their nerve to bowl out India for 296 in 46 overs despite Kohli’s 54th ODI century. Kyle Jamieson and Zakary Foulkes picked three wickets each as India’s chase fell short, marking the hosts’ fifth home ODI series defeat since 2010.

Reacting to the defeat, India captain Shubman Gill admitted the team was left disappointed with their performance in the decider. “After the first match, coming here 1-1, the way we played disappointed. There are areas we need to look back, reflect, and do better,” said Gill at the post-match presentation.

Gill praised Kohli’s knock and highlighted Rana’s contribution with the bat at number eight. “The way Virat is batting is always a plus. The way Harshit has batted in this series, batting at number eight is not easy. The way he stepped up and the way the fast bowlers bowled in this series was good as well,” he said.

Looking ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup, Gill said the management intends to give opportunities to young seam-bowling all-rounder Reddy, who impressed with 53. “Keeping the World Cup in mind, we want to give him opportunities and see what kind of combinations work for us,” he added. (IANS)