
Surprising developments were seen in the second ODI match at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. New Zealand tour of India On Wednesday, the top order witnessed a dramatic collapse which left the home crowd in a state of disbelief. After securing a narrow win in the series opener in Vadodara, India went into this day-night encounter aiming to win the series. However, looking to dismantle the world-renowned Indian batting engine with disciplined, high-quality pace and spin, the visitors had different plans.
India suffered a shock opening defeat against New Zealand in Rajkot
new zealand captain Michael Bracewell Took the bold decision to field first, a move that initially looked questionable Indiaopener of, Rohit Sharma And Shubman GillThe first 10 overs were passed relatively easily. The pair crossed the 50-run mark in just 8.4 overs, playing some fine drives to signal another high-scoring day in Rajkot.
When the tables turned in the 13th over Christian Clark A rare error from Rohit. Hitman hits a cross-seam delivery to clear mid-off. Will Young Sweeper at cover, out for 24 runs. While captain Gill continued his fine form with an inning of 56 runs in 53 balls, he was out in the 17th over. kyle jamison Real panic arose. India went from a comfortable score of 99/1 to a dangerous score of 118/4 in just seven overs.
The biggest blow to the Indian camp was the withdrawal of Virat Kohli. recently overtaken Kumar Sangakkara On his way to becoming the second-highest run-scorer in international history, Kohli looked set to open the innings. Instead, he was stunned by a slower ball from Clarke, causing the ball to hit his stumps on 23. a couple of minutes ago, Shreyas Iyer Fell for 8, caught by Bracewell, leaving the middle order exposed and reducing the run rate.
Fans were surprised to see India struggling for rhythm in the second ODI
The reaction on social media and in the stands was one of collective concern. Fans, who had expected the Rajkot surface to be a “flat track” paradise, watched silently as the boundaries dried up. After a flurry of wickets, India had a torrid time of 63 balls without any boundaries, exposing the hold of New Zealand’s bowlers β especially jaden lennox And Bracewell had taken over the game.
India’s score was 142/4 till the 30th over. KL Rahul (13*) and Ravindra Jadeja (11*) An attempt to tie together the scattered innings. The scorecard told a story of two parts:
- Powerplay 1: 57/0 (India in control)
- The Squeeze (21-30 overs): Only 20 runs for the loss of 2 wickets.
Absence of washington beautiful (means out due to rib injury) Nitish Kumar Reddy Was included, but the entire burden fell on the shoulders of Rahul and Jadeja. For New Zealand, Clarke emerged as the hero of the afternoon, taking figures of 3/37 from 6 overs. As the match progresses into the final twenty overs, India face an uphill struggle to post a total that can challenge the disciplined Black Caps.
Here’s how fans reacted:
No century from Virat Kohli today ππ#ViratKohli #ViratKohliπ΅ #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/b1HcBTcwJq
-Saabir Zafar (@Saabir_Saabu01) 14 January 2026
What a coincidence π³π
This reminds me of November 19th
-Rohit Sharma was out on this shot
-Shubman Gill was out on this shot
-Virat Kohli was out on this shot.Dejavu ππ#IndvNZ #IndvsNZ pic.twitter.com/gnNQ4I4dWj
β π€ (@diva_0387) 14 January 2026
#INDvNZ The situation is like the 2023 World Cup final (4 wickets falling) and there is a lot of talk that the team has changed its mind, especially KL Rahul. But even in useless bilaterals, KL Rahul and Jadeja are afraid to play their shots. Let’s see where they end up today.
– Subrato (@subrato312) 14 January 2026
19 November Madness everywhere π₯#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/uYB3gfHfih
β Shreya.β₯οΈ (@Here4VK18) 14 January 2026
Brother what match is this?
I’m already having nightmares about 23 World Cup finals> Great start, then Rohit got caught out after hitting a shot over cover.
>Gil falls due to a strain
> Kohli looks good but bites
> KLR and Jadeja Jaharball
>All rounder injured and replaced#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/0NoXeADfwJ– Aish (@AishIdiot) 14 January 2026
“Nothing brother, I am watching Jadeja and KL bat in the middle overs.”#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/9luOz75tUc
– Khatana Bhai (@Cric WormAnna) 14 January 2026
#IndvNZ
The Indian top order’s lack of ability to play sweeps and reverse sweeps is really hurting their scoring ability. And on top of that, the spinners’ ability to score runs has declined. It’s really there.
New Zealand’s spin bowling was smart and consistent! @bhogaleharsh– citizenkunal (@jun8l) 14 January 2026
Kohli’s streak of 50+ scores has ended π#INDvNZ #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/RlfHpN1ABN
– Muhammad Yasir (@MuhammadYa85859) 14 January 2026
63 balls between two consecutive fours for India!
16.4 Shubman Gill’s four
27.1 KL Rahul’s fourOf these, 62 were no-boundary deliveries,
Virat Kohli scored 18 runs
Shreyas Iyer played an inning of 17 runs
Jadeja scored 14 runs
Rahul scored 12 runs
Gill took 1#INDvNZ #shubhmangil #ViratKohli– CricTrend (@CricTrend_CT) 14 January 2026
Virat Kohli’s fans after his dismissal #INDvNZ #oneday pic.twitter.com/aHssEgF1VS
– sarcastic (@sarcastic_us) 14 January 2026
India is in deep troubleπ₯² #INDvNZ https://t.co/gWO1IbRUvk pic.twitter.com/cs0jl9eeF3
β Premnath PK πβ₯οΈπ¦πΉππ« (@PremnathPk) 14 January 2026


