Chasing 307, the Black Caps were in a spot of bother after losing three wickets for 88 in 19.5 overs. Before the tourists could look for more breakthroughs, skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham joined hands to bail out the Black Caps.
The duo kept tickling the scoreboard with singles and doubles, and never really India make some pressure on them. Latham, in particular, was the chief architect as he went on to smash a tremendous century.
Latham and Williamson put on a record-breaking 221 runs partnership for the fourth wicket to help New Zealand seal the deal in the three-match series opener. Latham stayed unbeaten on 145 off 104 balls, including 19 fours and five sixes. Similarly, Williamson remained undefeated at 94 from 98 deliveries, with the help of seven fours and a maximum.
Highest partnerships for NZ vs India in ODIs:
- 221* – Kane Williamson and Tom Latham, Auckland 2022
- 200 – Ross Taylor and Tom Latham, Mumbai WS 2017
- 190 – Ross Taylor and Scott Styris, Dambulla 2010
- 181 – Adam Parore and Ken Rutherford, Baroda 1994
Earlier, the visitors posted 306/7 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to brilliant knocks from top-order batters and a cameo from Washington Sundar. Captain Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill gave India a solid start, adding 124 runs for the opening wicket. While Dhawan scored 72 off 77 balls, Gill smashed 50 from 65 deliveries.
The major highlight for India was Shreyas Iyer, who went on to score 80 off 76 balls, including 4 fours and as many sixes. Sanju Samson also chipped with a valuable 36, while Sundar took the team’s total beyond 300 with his quickfire 16-ball 37-run knock.
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