Team India, led by stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer, had a forgettable outing in the fourth and penultimate ODI of the five-match series against hosts New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday, November 13.

Chasing a mammoth 334-run target set by New Zealand, the Men in Blue’s batting line-up apparently succumbed to scoreboard pressure as they were bundled out for 89 in 26.4 overs, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer falling for ducks. Ishan Kishan (27), Axar Patel (21), and Naman Dhir (21) were the only batters to reach double digits.

For New Zealand, Matt Henry led the bowling attack with figures of 6/27 at an economy rate of 2.80 in his spell of 9.2 overs. Matthew Fisher picked up three wickets while conceding 31 runs at an economy rate of 4.40 in seven overs.

How Did India Suffer a Batting Collapse?

Team India’s batting collapse grabbed the attention of the cricketing world, as the hosts were completely dismantled by New Zealand’s bowling attack, especially Matt Henry, right from the start of their 334-run chase, and surrendered to the swinging ball under lights at Bay Oval.

The Men in Blue had their worst start to a run chase, being reduced to 0/3 in the opening over, with Henry removing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, all for ducks. The hosts’ batting further collapsed to 9/4, with Ruturaj Gaikwad dismissed for 5. The first six overs were more than enough to break the back of the Indian chase.

However, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel showed some resistance to New Zealand’s bowling attack, as the pair formed a 44-run stand for the fifth wicket before the latter’s dismissal at 53/5, triggering another slide. India’s batting line-up further toppled to 66/7 with the dismissals of Ishan and Auqib Nabi (5).

Scroll to load tweet…

At 66/7, India’s chances of going past at least the 100-run mark were slim, but tail-ender Naman Dhir attempted a late counter-attack with a brisk 21. However, his dismissal left the lower order exposed, and Matt Henry returned to wrap up the tail swiftly,

After being reduced to 9/4 in 5.3 overs, Team India could add only 80 runs in the remaining 21.1 overs as New Zealand's bowlers continued to strike at regular intervals. Henry and Matthew Fisher were too hot to handle for the Indian batting order, exploiting the movement under lights to dismantle the visitors in 26.4 overs.

‘No Unplayable Deliveries’

Following India’s disastrous batting in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, head coach Gautam Gambhir didn’t hesitate to express his disappointment over the team’s poor shot selection and lack of application at the crease.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gambhir stated that “there are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket” and stressed that Indian batters should have found ways to counter Matt Henry's bowling.

Scroll to load tweet…

Though India led the five-match ODI series 2-1, this heavy 244-run defeat has exposed glaring vulnerabilities in their top and middle order ahead of the decider.