India head coach Gautam Gambhir identified poor fielding as a reason behind his team’s 244-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on Friday. Gambhir highlighted the missed opportunities against Will Young, whose century proved decisive after he was dropped twice in the same over. Shreyas Iyer led India in place of Shubman Gill, with the visitors choosing to bowl after winning the toss. New Zealand lost early wickets but recovered to post 333.
India, meanwhile, collapsed for just 89 in 26.4 overs, suffering a heavy defeat that left the five-match series still alive. The costly fielding errors came in Auqib Nabi’s second over. Young, batting on five, edged a good-length delivery outside off stump, but Rohit Sharma failed to hold a catch at first slip. The very next ball brought another opportunity, as Young edged towards Ishan Kishan. The wicketkeeper dived to his right and got a glove to the ball, but could not complete the catch.
Speaking after the match, Gautam Gambhir stressed that India needed to improve both mentally and technically, especially when playing in challenging conditions. “Even last game we were 7 down for 111 it is a bit of concern. We need to be mentally, skill wise ready. 35-40/0 is fine in conditions like these,” Gambhir said.
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He also felt Nabi was unfortunate not to receive support from the fielders, while acknowledging that missed chances could change the course of a match. “Auqib Nabi was unlucky, had we got Will Young it could have been different. There’s always hindsight. We dropped catches and will have to pay for it,” the India head coach added.
Young made India pay for those reprieves, producing a career-best 125 from 108 deliveries, including 14 fours and four sixes. His fifth ODI hundred anchored New Zealand’s innings before he was dismissed in the 37th over with the score at 256/5. Tim Seifert contributed 58 at the top, while Finn Allen provided momentum with a brisk 41 off 30 balls. The lower order added valuable runs to take the hosts to 333, with the final wicket falling on the last delivery.
Nabi, Axar Patel and Gurnoor Brar claimed two wickets apiece, but India’s missed chances allowed New Zealand to build a total that proved far beyond their reach.
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Matt Henry then dismantled India’s top order on his return to ODI cricket, playing his first match in the format since November 2025. He removed Rohit with the first ball before dismissing Virat Kohli and Iyer for ducks, completing a triple-wicket maiden.
Henry finished with career-best figures of 6/27 from 9.4 overs. Matthew Fisher claimed 3/31, while Kyle Jamieson dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for five. Only three Indian batters reached double figures, with Kishan scoring 27 and Axar and Naman Dhir making 21 each. New Zealand will now look to level the series at 2-2 in Sunday’s final ODI at Bay Oval. Although the hosts cannot win the series, another victory would complete a strong comeback.
