Match overview
India Cricket beat New Zealand Cricket by 4 wickets at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara on 11 January 2026, successfully chasing a target of 301 to finish on 306/6. V Kohli top-scored with 93 off 91 balls and collected the Player of the Match award. New Zealand had set a competitive total thanks to half-centuries from DJ Mitchell (84 off 71), HM Nicholls (62 off 69), and DP Conway (56 off 67), but India's middle-overs batting proved too strong. Kyle Jamieson's 4/41 kept the chase tight, yet India reached the target with wickets to spare.
New Zealand's innings was built on a steady powerplay of 49 without loss before the middle phase cost them 5 wickets for 163 runs. The death overs recovered some ground: 88 runs from the final phase pushed the total to 300/8. India's reply followed a similar pattern in the powerplay, 48 for 1, before the middle overs produced 191 runs at the cost of just 3 wickets. That middle-phase dominance effectively settled the contest.
Venue and conditions
Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara has now hosted one ODI, and that single match tells a clear story about the surface. Both innings produced substantial totals: an average first-innings score of 300 and an average second-innings score of 306 across the venue's limited data set. The powerplay average of 49 runs suggests an even contest early, but the conditions favour batters as the innings develops.
The toss winner chose to field on 100 per cent of occasions at this ground, and the chasing side has won the only match played here. A single match is too small a sample to draw firm conclusions, but the pitch did allow scoring throughout all three phases. The death overs averaged 78 runs in the venue data, and this match's death-over totals of 88 (New Zealand) and 67 (India) sit broadly in line with that. Dew in evening matches at grounds in western India can accelerate scoring for the side batting second, which may partly explain the toss preference for fielding first.
How to watch
ODI cricket between India and New Zealand is broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Coverage is available through a Sky subscription, the Sky Go app, or a NOW TV Sports day or month pass. Matches in India typically start between 08:00 and 09:00 UK time, so morning viewing or catch-up through the Sky Sports app is the practical option for most UK fans.
For BBC Radio Test Match Special commentary on ICC events and major bilateral series, check the BBC Sounds schedule. Radio commentary is often available live and on-demand for England-adjacent fixtures, though India-New Zealand series coverage via BBC tends to be intermittent.
Recent form
New Zealand arrived at Vadodara in solid ODI form. Their five most recent results before this match included four wins against West Indies Cricket and one no result, suggesting a side settled in their roles across all three departments.
India came in with an equally positive record: four wins from their previous five ODIs against South Africa Cricket, with the sole defeat sandwiched between victories. Both sides entered the fixture in decent shape, which makes the quality of individual performances here, particularly Jamieson's bowling and Kohli's batting, all the more significant. India's 55 wins from 111 ODI meetings with New Zealand reflects a rivalry where the hosts in the subcontinent tend to hold an advantage, and this result in Vadodara follows that broader pattern. The sides are likely to meet again in the next fixture of the current series.
