New Zealand vs India 2026 Highlights: 3 moments that generated buzz among fans in NZ vs IND 1st ODI ft. Virat Kohli

A strong bowling performance powered India to a resounding five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the ODI series opener at Eden Park, Auckland, on Wednesday, November 4. The Black Caps were bowled out for a paltry score of 185 after being invited to bat first.

Opener Tim Seifert (38 off 43) and No. 11 Blair Tickner (34 off 23) were the top scorers for the hosts. Arshdeep Singh picked up four wickets, while Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj finished with three and two scalps, respectively.

Following a rain interruption, India were handed a revised DLS target of 143 in 32 overs. Virat Kohli shone with the bat on the difficult pitch, scoring a fluent 74 off 51 balls at a strike rate of 145.10. His fiery knock put the Men in Blue firmly in the driver's seat.

Kamboj was declared the Player of the Match for his excellent spell of 2/22 in 10 overs, including two maidens. Here, we look at three moments from the clash that had fans buzzing.

#3 Virat Kohli pulls off John Cena's signature move in front of Glenn Phillips

Virat Kohli kept fans entertained with his on-field antics. The former India captain was involved in a viral moment as he recreated WWE legend John Cena's iconic 'You Can't See Me' gesture.

The incident took place ahead of the 18th over when Glenn Phillips walked out to bat with Cena's theme song playing in the background. Kohli hilariously greeted the New Zealand batter by doing the WWE icon's hand-in-front-of-the-face gesture.

Watch the video here:

#2 Gurnoor Brar plucks out a sharp one-handed return catch

Gurnoor Brar got rid of Tom Latham (3 off 11) on the final ball of the 17th over. The left-hander played a straight drive off a full-length delivery but failed to middle it.

He ended up chipping it towards the left of Brar. The Indian bowler stretched his hand and plucked out a terrific catch. Notably, the ball had passed behind his body, but he showed great reflexes to provide his team with an important breakthrough.

Watch the video here:

#1 Rohit Sharma turns the tide in India's favor with an acrobatic diving throw

The onus was on Daryl Mitchell to steady the ship for New Zealand amid their batting collapse. He scored 28 off 41 balls before his innings was cut short, courtesy of Rohit Sharma's brilliance in the field.

Glenn Phillips nudged Axar Patel's delivery on the leg side and set off to steal a quick single in the 22nd over. Sharma was quick to get to the ball and produced a stunning diving throw at the wicketkeeper's end.

KL Rahul broke the stumps, and Mitchell was caught short of his crease. Watch the video here:

India and New Zealand will now face off at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, November 7.

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