🏏New Zealand Tour of India 2026: 1st ODI: Vodadara on 11/01/26 D/N🏏 - Page 26

Most PoTM awards in ODIs

62 - Sachin Tendulkar

48 - Sanath Jayasuriya

45 - Virat Kohli*

32 - Jacques Kallis

32 - Ricky Ponting

32 - Shahid Afridi

Shubman Gill: Definitely always feels great to contribute when chasing. Staying in the present is the most important thing for any athlete or sportsman, that's what I try to do. At the moment, the way he's batting he's making it look easy, it was not an easy wicket to start on, but he made it look easy. More of a rotation, Arshdeep did well in the last series, Siraj was not there in that series, we won't to give everyone a chance and there's not many games before the World Cup. He's going to go for a scan, let's see.

What a fightback from New Zealand. They looked down and out when Kohli and Iyer were in full flow, and India seemed set to cruise home with plenty to spare. But you can never rule out this New Zealand side - even without a few of their regulars, they showed real grit and forced India to work hard for the win. Rohit got India off the mark but fell inside the powerplay, while Gill initially struggled against the new ball before finding his touch once Kohli joined him. India’s number 3 walked in with intent, took the attack to the bowlers and peppered the boundary, setting the tone for a 100-plus partnership with the skipper. After Gill’s dismissal, Shreyas Iyer continued in the same vein, building another solid stand with Kohli and keeping India firmly in control.

Then came the twist. Kyle Jamieson struck 3 times in the space of 7 balls, removing both Kohli and Iyer, and suddenly New Zealand were right back in the contest. With Washington injured, Harshit was sent in ahead of him and he played a handy little cameo that eased the pressure on Rahul. Even after Harshit’s dismissal, a hobbling Washington walked out to the middle, and together he and Rahul guided India home with an over to spare. New Zealand threw everything they had at India and pushed them all the way, but in the end, they just lacked that extra bit of firepower in the crunch moments.

Virat Kohli | Player of the Match: (How many PoTM awards does he have?) Honestly I have no idea. I send it to my mum in Gurgaon, she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities, I have worked a lot for where I am today, God has blessed me with way too much and I have lot of gratitude in my heart, I feel proud. If I am being brutally honest then I am not thinking about the milestones, I would have gone hard if we were batting first, the experience does matter. The only thing was to get the team into a good position in the chase. The basic idea is I bat at number 3, I back myself to counterattack, I just walked in and felt I could put the opposition on the back foot. It is all different timings happens at different games, I don't feel good about it, it happens with MS as well, it is not a good feeling for the guy going out, it has been fine so far. I feel grateful for being put into this position, you can give happiness to so many people by playing this sport, putting smiles on people's face makes me smile.

Virat Kohli | Player of the Match: (How many PoTM awards does he have?) Honestly I have no idea. I send it to my mum in Gurgaon, she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities, I have worked a lot for where I am today, God has blessed me with way too much and I have lot of gratitude in my heart, I feel proud. If I am being brutally honest then I am not thinking about the milestones, I would have gone hard if we were batting first, the experience does matter. The only thing was to get the team into a good position in the chase. The basic idea is I bat at number 3, I back myself to counterattack, I just walked in and felt I could put the opposition on the back foot. It is all different timings happens at different games, I don't feel good about it, it happens with MS as well, it is not a good feeling for the guy going out, it has been fine so far. I feel grateful for being put into this position, you can give happiness to so many people by playing this sport, putting smiles on people's face makes me smile.

New Zealand seems beautiful place .. I feel like visiting that country for tourism

Congratulations India! I didn't get to watch the match but it appears to have been very tight at the end eh?

And Kohli missed his century

Originally posted by: Sutapasima

New Zealand seems beautiful place .. I feel like visiting that country for tourism

You should visit at least once.

Cheers..

Congratulations to India for winning the match.

Congratulations to VK for winning the Player of the match award.

Cheers..