Matt Henry Destroys India Top Order with Historic 0/3 Triple-Wicket Maiden in Mount Maunganui

Matt Henry blew India's run chase to smithereens inside six balls on Friday.

Chasing a mountainous target of 334 at Bay Oval, India lost Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and captain Shreyas Iyer without putting a single run on the scoreboard. It was sheer carnage. In the span of six deliveries, Henry produced a triple-wicket maiden that shattered the spine of the Indian batting lineup and carved an unwanted line into the history books.

India had never slumped to 0/3 in their One Day International history. They have now.

New Zealand had earlier racked up an imposing 333 on a true Mount Maunganui surface, setting up what promised to be a tense, high-octane chase. Instead, Henry turned the fourth ODI into a horror film before the opening over had even breathed its last.

Six Balls, Three Ducks: How Henry Dismantled India

Henry took the new ball and struck instantly.

His opening delivery to Rohit Sharma landed short-of-a-good-length, kicked violently off the deck, and darted away from the right-hander. Rohit had to play. Pushed onto the back foot by the steep bounce, the opener nicked a thick outside edge straight into the waiting palms of Finn Allen at first slip. Rohit walked back for a golden duck. The scoreboard read 0/1 after a single ball.

Kohli walked out to deafening noise, only to walk back four balls later.

After softening Kohli up with away-swingers, Henry angled a lethal delivery back into the talisman. The ball skidded, stayed low, and jagged through the gate between bat and pad as Kohli jabbed forward toward mid-wicket. Wood rattled against leather. Kohli stood bowled for a four-ball duck. The Bay Oval fell dead quiet. India were 0/2.

Then came the coup de grâce.

Iyer took strike for the final delivery of the over. Henry charged in, whipping another sharp delivery that cut back fiercely into the pads. Iyer played all around it, taking the blow flush on the back leg. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena shook his head, turning down the appeal. New Zealand reviewed without hesitation. Ball-tracking flashed three red lights, showing the ball clattering directly into the middle stump.

Dharmasena overturned his call. Iyer walked for a golden duck. Henry roared, surrounded by mobbing teammates, having delivered the most devastating opening over in modern white-ball cricket.

The Dambulla 2010 Ghost and an Unwanted Global Record

Friday marked only the second time in ODI history that Rohit and Kohli have fallen for ducks in the very same match.

The only previous instance came 16 years ago against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2010—a fixture forever etched in memory when Suraj Randiv deliberately bowled a no-ball with Virender Sehwag stranded on 99 not out, denying Sehwag a century even as the opener hoisted the delivery into the stands.

Yet this Mount Maunganui disaster runs far deeper than individual milestone droughts.

With that catastrophic opening over, India became just the fifth team in the entire history of One Day Internationals to surrender their first three wickets without scoring a run.

The Match Stakes: Chasing 334 requires nerve, calculated aggression, and top-order stability. By wiping out India's three premier batters before a single run was scored, New Zealand seized absolute control of the fourth ODI, leaving the tourists' lower-middle order staring down an insurmountable mountain at Bay Oval.