Virat Kohli's Lone Battle Ends in Defeat for India
Virat Kohli played a magnificent innings on Sunday, scoring his 54th ODI century. He fought almost alone against New Zealand in the third ODI at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Despite his heroic effort, India fell short in their chase of 337 runs.
Kohli's Masterclass in a Collapsing Lineup
Kohli reached his century in just 91 deliveries. His innings sparkled with 8 boundaries and 2 massive sixes. He tried desperately to guide India to victory as wickets tumbled around him.
The Indian batting lineup struggled from the start. Rohit Sharma fell early for just 11 runs off Zakary Foulkes. Shubman Gill followed soon after, dismissed by Kyle Jamieson for 23 runs.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul contributed little, scoring only 3 and 1 runs respectively. Kohli watched helplessly from the other end as his partners kept returning to the pavilion.
Nitish Kumar Reddy provided some support with a valuable 53 runs. He helped build momentum with Kohli before falling just as he looked settled. Ravindra Jadeja departed for 12 runs, leaving Kohli with tailenders.
New Zealand's Batting Powerhouse
Earlier in the day, New Zealand posted a challenging total of 337 for 8 wickets. Daryl Mitchell scored his second consecutive hundred with a brilliant 137 runs. Glenn Phillips smashed a blistering century, making 106 runs.
The duo put together a massive 219-run partnership for the fourth wicket. This stand completely changed the course of the innings after India's early breakthroughs.
Mitchell played the anchor role with calm authority. Phillips provided explosive momentum, allowing New Zealand to accelerate after a cautious start.
India's Bowling Efforts
India's pace attack started strongly, reducing New Zealand to 58 for 3 wickets at one stage. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh made an immediate impact after replacing Prasidh Krishna.
Arshdeep removed Henry Nicholls for a duck in the very first over. He bowled a perfect delivery that shaped away late, taking the inside edge and crashing into the leg stump.
Arshdeep finished with 3 wickets for 63 runs. Fellow seamer Harshit Rana also claimed 3 wickets, conceding 84 runs. Both bowlers extracted movement from the pitch and kept New Zealand batters under pressure early on.
Despite these efforts, Mitchell and Phillips took the game away from India with their dominant partnership. Their centuries set up a target that proved too much for India's batting lineup, despite Kohli's heroic century.
