India suffer 244-run defeat as Matt Henry claims opening hat-trick

Matt Henry returns to record career-best figures

Matt Henry returned to the New Zealand side to prove his fitness after missing most T20Is with a leg injury. He also missed earlier ODIs due to concussion concerns following a collision with teammate Devon Conway.

Henry recorded his career-best figures in the ODI match. He took six wickets, which marked his first six-wicket haul in the format.

Will Young leads New Zealand to 333

New Zealand reached a total of 333 runs in the ODI. Will Young led the scoring with a career-best 125 runs off 108 balls. By the 37th over, New Zealand had reached 256/4. Young increased his score from 50 off 49 balls to 124 off 106 balls.

Tim Seifert scored 58 runs off 48 balls, marking his maiden ODI fifty. The opening stand was the first of 50 or more for New Zealand in their last eight ODIs. For comparison, India posted an 85-run opening partnership in the same conditions.

Finn Allen contributed 41 runs off 30 balls. Allen partnered with Young to add 90 runs for the fourth wicket in just over ten overs. New Zealand lost 6 wickets for 77 runs in the final 13.1 overs to finish on 333.

India's bowling and fielding efforts

Axar Patel claimed 2 wickets for 39 runs for India. Mitchell Santner hit two sixes off Patel before being dismissed by Arshdeep Singh.

Gurnoor Brar delivered short, high-pace balls throughout his spell with a high economy rate. Naman Dhir took a low diving catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Michael Bracewell off a short delivery from Brar. Rohit Sharma took a sharp diving low catch at short cover to dismiss Finn Allen. This followed an earlier dropped catch by the Indian captain. Sharma also took a diving catch at short cover to dismiss another New Zealand batsman.

India's batting collapse continues

Kyle Jamieson used his height for extra bounce to dismiss Ruturaj Gaikwad for 5 runs with a weak push outside off that was caught at second slip. Ishan Kishan scored 27 runs off 53 balls, while Axar Patel contributed 21 runs off 36 balls in a 44-run partnership.

Naman Dhir added 21 runs off 24 balls, hitting two sixes. Matt Fisher took 3 wickets for 31 runs during a six-over spell. India lost six wickets for 77 runs in the final 13.1 overs of the innings.

Baffling selection choices for India

Mohammed Siraj was omitted from India's XI, a decision described as baffling. Gautam Gambhir's selection for the match was noted as puzzling.

Looking ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup

The 2027 ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, where conditions may offer similar bounce and seam movement. The Times of India reported on 14 November 2026 that Henry recorded 3/37 against India in the 2019 World Cup semifinal at Old Trafford.

New Zealand led the series 2-1 and entered the final ODI without Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, who were both scheduled for Test duty. The final ODI is scheduled for Sunday.