Henry's six-for destroys India as New Zealand win by 244 runs in Mount Maunganui

New Zealand produced a near-perfect performance at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday, crushing India by 244 runs in the fourth one-day international to keep the five-match series alive. Will Young anchored the home side's innings with a superb 125, and Matt Henry then ripped through India's batting with career-best figures of 6 for 27 as the tourists were bowled out for just 89 in 26.4 overs while chasing 334.

It was India's second-heaviest ODI defeat by runs, behind only the 245-run loss to Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000, and 89 was their sixth-lowest ODI total. India still lead the series 2-1, the third match having been washed out, but a contest drifting towards a dead rubber now has a genuine decider at the same venue on Sunday, 15 November.

A first over for the ages

The match was decided in the first six balls of India's chase. Henry, playing his first ODI of the series after recovering from concussion, produced a triple-wicket maiden of rare quality. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and captain Shreyas Iyer were all dismissed without scoring, and India had lost their three most experienced batters before a run was on the board.

Kyle Jamieson matched Henry's fire from the other end, and Ruturaj Gaikwad soon followed, leaving India reeling at 9 for 4. The collapse drew comparisons with the 2019 World Cup semi-final, when Henry's new-ball burst also dismantled India's top order, and Dinesh Karthik was among those to note the parallel as the wickets tumbled.

Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan dug in for a 44-run fifth-wicket stand, but Matthew Fisher ended the resistance and Henry returned to run through the rest of the order. He finished with 6 for 27 from 9.4 overs, including two maidens, and was named player of the match, with Fisher providing excellent support with 3 for 31.

Young cashes in on his reprieves

Earlier, Young had set up New Zealand's total with the finest innings of his one-day career. The opener, who had managed only nine and six in the first two matches of the series, compiled a well-structured 125 from 108 balls, reaching his century off 88 deliveries in the 32nd over. It was his fifth ODI hundred, his first against India, and it was laced with 14 fours and four sixes.

Young was dropped twice in successive balls early in his innings, and he made India pay in full. He shared an 85-run opening stand with Tim Seifert, who struck a blazing 58 from 48 balls, and then a 90-run partnership with Finn Allen after New Zealand had slipped to 125 for 3. Late hitting from Mitchell Santner, Kristian Clarke and Jamieson helped the hosts scrape to 333 all out from their 50 overs.

India's bowlers fought back, conceding only 68 runs in the final ten overs. Axar Patel led the attack with two wickets for 39 runs and the best economy rate of the innings, while Auqib Nabi also claimed two wickets. Arshdeep Singh and Naman Dhir pulled things back at the death, but had India held their early chances, New Zealand could have been restricted to far fewer.

India's chase collapses in a heap

India's captain was candid afterwards about what had gone wrong. Shreyas Iyer said the pitch had changed substantially between the two innings, crediting Henry for the way he bowled and noting that the ball seamed in and out, making it difficult for batters to commit to a plan. Nobody had thrown their wicket away, he stressed; the deliveries were simply too good. At the interval, India had felt they could cruise through the chase on what had looked a belter for batting.

That belief lasted precisely one over. Kishan top-scored for India with 27 from 53 balls, while Axar made 21 and Dhir added 21, but no other batter reached double figures and the innings folded with more than 23 overs unused. It was a humbling afternoon for a side that had won the first two matches, and a reminder of how quickly Bay Oval conditions can turn on the chasing side.

There was a gracious footnote to Kohli's duck. After being bowled for nought from four balls in Henry's opening over, the former India captain handed his jersey to the New Zealand fast bowler, a gesture warmly received by the crowd. Henry, for his part, was keen not to get carried away, stressing that it was just one game and that the focus was now on levelling the series.

What the result means

Mitchell Santner was delighted, joking it was nice not to have to bowl again, and crediting Young for setting up a good total. He felt the hosts had left a few runs out there, with 360 the target they had in mind, but the bowlers made the debate academic. Santner added that the pace attack would get some rest before Sunday.

For India, the defeat exposes real vulnerabilities against the moving ball, and leaves plenty to find answers to, quickly. Iyer said it was important to forget the result, analyse what went wrong with bat and ball, and draw inspiration from the two wins already banked in the series. A fresh mindset, he said, would be needed for the final match.

The series now comes down to one game. New Zealand cannot win it from here, but they can stop India from taking it, and on Friday's evidence they will fancy their chances. Henry joins the Test squad for a training camp after this match, but first he has one more ODI to shape.