By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
India suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday, crashing to their lowest ODI total in a decade after being bowled out for just 89 in 26.4 overs while chasing a mammoth target of 334.
The defeat reduced India’s lead to 2-1 in the five-match series, with the third ODI having been abandoned due to rain. The two teams will now meet in the fifth and final match on Sunday.
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry produced a sensational spell, returning career-best figures of 6/27 to dismantle the Indian batting line-up. In a disastrous start to the chase, Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Indian captain Shreyas Iyer for ducks in the opening over, leaving India reeling at 0/3. It was the first time India had lost three wickets without scoring a run in the opening over of an ODI.
The Indian batting line-up never recovered from the early blows, with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan emerging as the only batter to cross the 20-run mark, scoring 27. The remaining batters failed to offer any meaningful resistance against the New Zealand attack.
Earlier, India won the toss and elected to field, but opener Will Young made them pay for their fielding lapses with a magnificent 125 off 108 balls, including 14 fours and four sixes.
Young and fellow opener Tim Seifert gave New Zealand an aggressive start, putting together 85 runs for the first wicket. Seifert contributed 58 off 48 balls, striking six fours and three sixes.
Young was also fortunate to survive two dropped catches in consecutive deliveries early in his innings, first by Rohit Sharma and then by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. He capitalised on the reprieves to register a commanding century and lay the foundation for a formidable total.
Finn Allen further strengthened the New Zealand innings with a brisk 41 off 30 deliveries, while contributions from Mitchell Santner (24), Kristian Clarke (22) and Kyle Jamieson (19 not out) helped the hosts reach 333 all out in their allotted 50 overs.
For India, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi picked up two wickets each, but the bowlers were unable to prevent New Zealand from posting a challenging total. Kuldeep Yadav also conceded 73 runs in his eight overs spell which was his one of the worst performances.
However, it was Henry’s devastating opening spell that ultimately turned the contest into a one-sided affair, exposing India’s batting frailties and handing New Zealand a memorable victory. Now the pressure is mounting on the India management to make some changes for the final match.