Matt Henry wrecked India's batting order with a ruthless six-wicket haul on Friday, skittling the visitors for 89 at Mount Maunganui. Chasing 334, India crumbled inside 28.4 overs at Bay Oval. The hosts took the fourth ODI by 244 runs. It stands as one of India's heaviest ODI defeats.
Yet stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer refused to cast blame on his batting lineup, insisting that sharp seam movement and flawless execution from New Zealand's pace spearhead dictated the outcome rather than reckless strokeplay.
India's chase evaporated before it ever began. Henry struck three lethal blows in his opening over, removing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer in rapid succession to leave India reeling at 0/3. From that catastrophic shock, the batting card never recovered.
The ball darted off the seam under the lights, exposing technical gaps and giving the middle order no room to settle. India stumbled forward, losing wickets in steady clusters until the innings wrapped up well short of the three-figure mark.
Iyer mounted an unyielding defence of his dressing room following the rout, arguing that New Zealand's pace attack gave the batters zero breathing room.
We saw it, there was a huge difference in the first innings and the second innings in terms of wicket, but also credit where it's due, the way Henry bowled in the right areas right from ball one. I think that was sensational.
Addressing the batting collapse directly, Iyer dismissed suggestions that India gave their wickets away cheaply.
When we got into the dressing room, we thought that we would be cruising through the chase as well. But the way the ball was seaming in and out, you couldn't basically decide from inside that this is how I'm going to play. Or even if you saw the wickets, no one threw the wicket away. It was good deliveries.
New Zealand set the platform early in the afternoon, racking up a commanding 333 before Henry took over with the ball. Will Young anchored the innings with a punishing 125 off 108 deliveries, carving boundaries through the off-side and punishing loose line. Tim Seifert chipped in with a brisk 58, while Finn Allen provided early momentum at the top with a fiery 41.
Iyer acknowledged that India struggled to plug the run flow during the middle overs and conceded that fielding lapses undermined their tactical plans.
I think we tried almost everything in the first innings, the way they were playing on the rise. And we thought that the wicket was better to bat on considering they got 330 after that. Obviously a couple of dropped catches, but that definitely happens in a game.
| Match Metric | New Zealand | India | Detail / Top Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Score | 333 | 89 (all out in 28.4 ov) | New Zealand won by 244 runs |
| Top Batter | Will Young (125 off 108) | — | Supported by Tim Seifert (58), Finn Allen (41) |
| Top Bowler | Matt Henry (6 wickets) | — | Removed Rohit, Kohli, Iyer for 0/3 in over 1 |
| Series Standing |
Iyer urged his squad to clear their minds quickly and draw confidence from their earlier victories rather than dwelling on the Bay Oval collapse.
It's important to forget about this one, obviously, analyze what went wrong in terms of bowling and batting. But at the back of the mind it's important that we have also won two games. So a lot of inspiration from that one and see to it that we come with a fresh set of mind.
The five-match series heads to a decider at the very same Bay Oval venue on November 15, with India fighting to close out a 3-1 series triumph and New Zealand hunting a 2-2 series tie.
| 1 Win |
| 2 Wins |
| India lead 2-1 (Match 3 washed out) |
| Next Fixture | 5th ODI | 5th ODI | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui (Nov 15) |