Jamieson’s Burst Sets Up Late Drama, but Kohli’s 93 Guides India to Four-Wicket Win

India 306/6 (Kohli 93, Gill 56, Iyer 49; Jamieson 4/41) beat New Zealand 300/8 (Mitchell 84, Nicholls 62, Conway 56; Siraj 2/40, Prasidh 2/60, Rana 2/65) by four wickets

For much of the evening in Baroda, Virat Kohli appeared determined to extend his recent run of finishing ODI chases with centuries. Scores of 74*, 135, 102 and 65* in his previous four innings had underlined that resolve, and when he stood unbeaten on 93 while steering India towards a target of 301, another landmark seemed inevitable.

Then Kyle Jamieson intervened.

A bowler who has tormented Kohli and India repeatedly in Tests, Jamieson turned this ODI on its head in the space of seven deliveries. He removed Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer in quick succession, transforming what had looked a procession into a gripping finish.

From a position of complete control, India suddenly found themselves needing 59 runs from 53 balls, five wickets down, with two fresh batters at the crease. One of them was Harshit Rana, a lower-order batter pressed into service with Washington Sundar sidelined by a side strain.

The opening men’s international at the Kotambi Stadium now had the contest it had lacked for most of the chase. Rana, who struck a vital 29 from 23 balls, and a clearly hampered Sundar kept India ticking over before KL Rahul sealed the game in emphatic fashion. Facing debutant Kristian Clarke, Rahul struck 4, 4 and 6 to finish the chase with six balls remaining.

The tension at the end felt almost unthinkable earlier, when Kohli was orchestrating the pursuit with trademark authority. He shared a decisive 118-run stand with Shubman Gill and followed it with a 77-run partnership alongside Iyer, placing India firmly in command.

Kohli’s innings blended classic assurance with modern aggression. He began with clear intent, stepping out to the seamers and striking six fours inside his first 20 deliveries. Once set, he slowed the tempo without losing control, dictating terms like a conductor guiding an orchestra.

One passage perfectly illustrated his mastery. Having managed just one boundary across a stretch of 55 balls, Kohli manufactured one off Clarke using the middle-overs fielding restrictions. Standing outside leg stump, he anticipated the bowler following him and expertly flicked the ball to an unmanned backward square-leg boundary.

Approaching three figures, however, Kohli’s charge against Jamieson lacked the elevation required to clear mid-off, and his dismissal triggered the collapse. Jamieson followed up with Jadeja and a well-set Iyer, who had looked authoritative on his return from injury, especially against legspinner Adithya Ashok. Both dismissals came from cross-seam deliveries that did just enough off the black-soil surface to punish indecision.

Rana then played his part, surviving a dropped chance from Daryl Mitchell on the midwicket boundary and dominating a sixth-wicket stand of 37 with Rahul. He fell with 22 required from 22 balls, but India continued to find singles despite Sundar being barely able to run.

With nine needed from nine balls, Rahul removed all doubt, finishing the contest with authority.

That India controlled the chase for so long pointed to two realities: New Zealand’s inexperienced, injury-hit bowling attack, and a total that was slightly short of par.

New Zealand’s innings had begun promisingly. Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls put on 117 for the opening wicket, yet India ensured the run rate never spiralled. Rana broke through by deceiving Nicholls with a wide slower yorker and then bowling Conway with an inducker that clipped the inside edge.

From there, New Zealand repeatedly threatened but failed to build sustained momentum. India’s seamers took regular wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav removed the dangerous Glenn Phillips with a beautifully disguised wrong’un.

Daryl Mitchell stood firm amid the instability, compiling a hard-working 84. He reached his half-century in just 51 balls despite striking only four boundaries, then accelerated late with a sequence of 4, 6, 4 off Prasidh Krishna in the 48th over — the scoop over short fine leg the standout — before falling lbw the very next ball.

Kristian Clarke’s brisk late cameo lifted New Zealand to 300, a total that ultimately proved just insufficient as India, despite a late scare, emerged victorious.