India’s pursuit of a 334-run target against New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval got off to a catastrophic start on Friday. In a display of clinical fast bowling, New Zealand pacer
Henry, who opened the bowling for the hosts, struck with his very first delivery to remove
A Historic Collapse for India's Top Order
The pressure intensified as Henry continued his assault on the Indian batting lineup. After bowling a series of deliveries that moved away from the right-handers, he brought one back sharply into
The drama concluded on the final delivery of the over when Henry trapped captain Shreyas Iyer lbw. Although umpire Kumar Dharmasena initially ruled in favor of the batter, a successful New Zealand review confirmed the ball was hitting the middle stump. Iyer departed for a first-ball duck, completing a rare triple-wicket maiden for the New Zealand bowler.
Unwanted Records and Statistical Context
This collapse marks the first time in their ODI history that India has lost their first three wickets without scoring a single run. With this performance, India joins an exclusive and unwanted list of teams to have suffered a 0/3 start in an ODI, alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia.
Furthermore, the dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for ducks in the same match represent only the second time the pair has recorded such a feat in an ODI. The only previous occurrence took place against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2010. As the match continues, India faces a monumental task to recover from this early setback in their chase of New Zealand's 333-run total.
