India Beat New Zealand by Five Wickets in First ODI as Kohli Hits 74 off 51

India beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first one-day international at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Virat Kohli made 74 off 51 balls to lead a chase that rain had cut to 143 runs in 32 overs, and India finished the job in 22.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

New Zealand bowled out for 185

New Zealand were dismissed for 185 in 40.2 overs after India won the early exchanges with the ball. Arshdeep Singh took four wickets to lead the attack. Gurnoor Brar took three wickets and Anshul Kamboj claimed two, so the three bowlers shared nine of the ten wickets between them. The total left New Zealand short of a score that could put the chase under real pressure, and the match report from CricToday said the result was rarely in doubt once the hosts had been bowled out at that number.

Rain cuts the target

A long rain delay then changed the shape of the chase. India were given a revised target of 143 in 32 overs, a much shorter pursuit than the 186 they had first faced. The delay did not slow India down. They went after the bowling from the restart and stayed ahead of the rate the revised target demanded for the whole innings.

Kohli leads the chase

Kohli set the pace. He reached his fifty off 35 balls and went on to 74 off 51 balls, with 13 fours and a six, scoring at a strike rate of 145.1. Sportskeeda noted that the fifty was his second-fastest fifty in away one-day internationals. Captain Shubman Gill gave him steady support with 37 off 56 balls, including five boundaries, and the pair added the runs that broke the back of the chase. After Kohli fell, KL Rahul and Naman Dhir were the unbeaten batters at the crease when India crossed the finish line with five wickets down and nine overs and two balls unused.

A 1-0 lead in the series

The win gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with four matches still to play. New Zealand will need a stronger batting display in the second match after an innings in which no total above 185 was ever built. NDTV reported the same final result, with Kohli's 74 off 51 balls as the headline figures of the match. For India, the bowling figures travel as well as the batting ones: four wickets for Arshdeep Singh and three for Gurnoor Brar set up a win that the batters then closed out at speed.