India suffer their second-heaviest ODI defeat as New Zealand force a Bay Oval decider

New Zealand bowled India out for 89 at Bay Oval to win the fourth ODI by 244 runs and keep the five-match series alive

Matt Henry took three wickets in the opening over and finished with 6-27, the best one-day figures of his career, as India were dismissed for 89 in 26.4 overs at Mount Maunganui on Friday.

Set 334 after New Zealand had made 333 from their 50 overs, India lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for ducks inside the first six balls and never recovered.

The 244-run margin is India's second-heaviest defeat in one-day internationals, behind only a 245-run loss to Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 2000. India still lead the series 2-1, with the fifth and final ODI at the same ground on Sunday.

Three wickets in the opening over

Henry had Rohit caught by Finn Allen from the first ball of the innings and bowled Kohli later in the same over. Iyer was given out lbw off the last delivery, New Zealand having overturned the original not-out call on review.

India were 0 for 3 after one over, Henry's opening burst a triple-wicket maiden.

"We knew that there was a small window there with the new ball that you could put the batters under pressure," Henry said after being named player of the match.

Kyle Jamieson then had Ruturaj Gaikwad caught for 5 to leave India nine for 4 inside the first six overs.

Young and Seifert build the target

Will Young made 125 from 108 balls with 14 fours and four sixes, the innings around which New Zealand's total was built.

Tim Seifert struck 58 from 48 with six fours and three sixes at the top of the order, and Finn Allen added 41 from 30 balls.

India were not short of wickets but never slowed the rate. Axar Patel was the pick with 2-39 from his 10 overs, while Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi and the part-time seam of Naman Dhir shared the rest as New Zealand were bowled out off the final delivery of the innings.

Only Kishan offers resistance

Ishan Kishan top-scored with 27 from 53 balls before Henry bowled him, and Axar and Naman Dhir each made 21.

Matthew Fisher supported Henry with 3-31, and Jamieson finished with 1-12 from six overs as India were bowled out with 23.2 overs of the chase unused.

India's powerplay score of 26 for 4 was their lowest in an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, according to CricViz.

Iyer points to the pitch and the new ball

"We saw it; there was a huge difference in the first innings and the second innings in terms of wicket," Iyer said, before crediting the bowling. "The way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational."

India's captain said his side had expected the chase to be straightforward. "But when we got into the dressing room, we thought that we would be cruising through the chase as well," he said, adding that with the ball seaming both ways "you couldn't basically decide from inside".

He defended his batters' shot selection, and asked for the match to be put behind them. "Or even if you saw the wickets, no one threw the wicket away. It was good deliveries," Iyer said. "But at the back of the mind it's important that we have also won two games."

Henry misses the decider

Henry's six-wicket haul is only the second by a New Zealand bowler against India in one-day internationals, after Shane Bond's 6-19 in 2005. It was his fourth five-wicket haul in the format.

He will not play the final match, having joined New Zealand's squad for the Test series that follows.

India's lead was built on two narrow wins decided by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, by five wickets in Auckland and by four runs in Wellington, before the third ODI at Hamilton was washed out without a ball bowled.

Scorecard: New Zealand 333 (Young 125, Seifert 58; Axar Patel 2-39) beat India 89 (Kishan 27; Henry 6-27, Fisher 3-31) by 244 runs.