IND vs NZ: India reach unique milestone after victory in Vadodara

India secured a crucial victory ove New Zealand in the 1st ODI on Sunday (January 11) at Vadodara's Kotambi Stadium. Virat Kohli was the star of the show with a brilliant 93 runs, which also earned him the Player of the Match award.

Yet, the real drama unfolded in the shadows of stardom, where the match's fate hung in the balance as KL Rahul finally sealed the deal.

IND vs NZ India reach unique milestone after victory in Vadodara

New Zealand, led by a resilient Daryl Mitchell's 84, posted a competitive 300/8. Their innings featured steady half-centuries from Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls, but India's pacers - Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna wih two wickets each, kept them in check on a tricky pitch.

Chasing 301, India lost Rohit Sharma early, but Kohli and captain Shubman Gill (56) built a solid platform. Kohli's fluent knock, laced with eight fours and a six, seemed to seal the game until Kyle Jamieson's fiery spell triggered a collapse from 234/2 to 242/5.

Suddenly, 59 runs were needed off under nine overs, and panic loomed.Enter the unsung architects of victory: Harshit Rana, the young pacer who had earlier troubled the Kiwis with the ball, smashed a fearless 29 off 23 (including a massive six), injecting momentum and easing pressure.

Then came KL Rahul's composed unbeaten 29 off 21, culminating in a thrilling penultimate over where he smashed debutant Kristian Clarke for back-to-back fours and a six to seal the deal. Washington Sundar (7) supported calmly as India reached 306/6 in 49 overs, winning by 4 wickets with six balls to spare.

With the victory, India etched their name deeper into ODI record books by clinching their 20th successful chase of a 300-plus total. The Indian team is the first among all the countries to reach to the mark, thus extending their lead at the top.