IND vs NZ 4th ODINovember 13th proved to be a disastrous day for Team India on their tour of New Zealand. Entering the match with a 2-0 lead in the ODI series, the entire Indian side was bundled out for just 89 runs. Consequently, New Zealand secured a massive 244-run victory in the fourth match.
There is now only one match remaining in this ODI series, which serves as India's final opportunity to clinch the series. At the same time, it also represents the last chance for stars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to score a century.
The Indian batting lineup failed completely in the fourth match of the series, played at Mount Maunganui. The collapse began in the very first over, with star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both getting out without opening their accounts.
This is the second time in this series that Rohit has been dismissed for a duck. Meanwhile, after scoring a half-century in the opening match, Kohli has also failed to perform in the subsequent two games.
Rohit could not score a century
The series has now reached its final stage, and the fifth and concluding match will be played at this same venue on Sunday, November 15. This will also be the final match for both Rohit and Virat on New Zealand soil, marking their last opportunity to leave their mark here.
The fifth ODI will be particularly significant for Rohit Sharma, as he has yet to score a century on New Zealand soil. In the 18 ODIs he has played in New Zealand, Rohit has managed only 460 runs, including just four half-centuries—with his highest score being 87. Should he fail once again, he will return from New Zealand empty-handed in terms of centuries.
Kohli, too, has been waiting for 12 years
On the other hand, there is Virat Kohli, who has amassed a record 55 centuries in ODI cricket, yet he has also been waiting a long time for a century in New Zealand. Kohli has scored one ODI century in the country, which came in his very first match there.
That century was scored 12 years ago, in 2014, when he played an innings of 123 runs. In total, he has scored 677 runs across 17 matches in New Zealand at an average of 45, comprising one century and five half-centuries.
