India suffered a huge eight wicket loss against New Zealand in the fourth ODI here today. India was dismissed for its seventh lowest ODI total -- 92 in 30.5 overs here -- after Trent Boult (5/21) dished out a deadly opening spell. It was also the lowest total posted by any side on this venue, the previous lowest of 122 also against India's name.
Boult wreaked havoc with the new ball and in Colin de Grandhomme's (3/26) company utilised the swinging conditions at the Seddon Park perfectly. "Never expected this to happen. (But) games like this happen...We've got ourselves to blame for this," said India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma. India's lowest ODI total is 54 against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 2000. It was also India's second lowest total in ODIs against New Zealand, having somehow managed to surpass the 88 scored at Dambulla.
Only four Indian batsmen -- Shikhar Dhawan (13), Hardik Pandya (16), Kuldeep Yadav (15) and Yuzvendra Chahal (18 not out) -- posted double digit scores. Dhawan's search for big runs continued and he was the first to depart, caught plumb in front of the wicket by Boult in the sixth over.
