Cricket

New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI Preview & Tips - Kohli to lead India to another ODI win over New Zealand

By Ben Darvill

1 hour ago

Ben Darvill 1 hour ago

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India lead the five-match ODI series 1-0 with four games to play
Virat Kohli scored 74 from 51 in the first ODI
Preview, stats & head to head

India's Virat Kohli (Getty Images)

New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI Preview & Tips
Head To Head
New Zealand Form
India Form

New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI Preview & Tips

New Zealand are in need of a much-improved batting display in the second ODI after they were handed a five-wicket loss by India in the opening ODI. This has seen India go 1-0 up in the five-match series despite some questionable batting from the tourists.

Virat Kohli scored 74 in the first ODI
India have won three of their last four in the ODI game (L1)

Head To Head

In their last 10 ODI meetings, India have notched eight wins while New Zealand have managed to win twice.

New Zealand Form

New Zealand's batting unit crumbled in the first ODI as they struggled to 185 all out in 40.2 overs. With a number of batters getting starts, their inability to get anywhere near a winning score is a real worry.

Tim Seifert (38), Daryl Mitchell (28) and Glenn Phillips (30) were the biggest scorers in the top order as number 10 Jacob Duffy (15) and number 11 Blair Tickner (34) outdid many of their specialist batting counterparts. While India boast a bowling line-up that is incredibly tough to face, New Zealand's display will be a big worry.

Positively, the Black Caps did look good with the ball. They had India wobbling as they went from 114/1 to 136/5. However, Virat Kohli notched a match-winning 74 as New Zealand battling back came too late.

The second ODI needs to see the Black Caps bat with some form of solidity if they are to win this match. Beating India is a full team effort that is rarely achieved when one of the two facets of the game is not firing.

The worry for the Black Caps in this one is that they have found India to be an incredibly tough opponent to defeat. Across their last 11 ODI's against their opponent, the Black Caps have lost nine times. While they are able to challenge the best on their day, I predict another tough day out for the home side.

India Form

India managed to get over the line against New Zealand in their opening ODI, but it was far from pretty in a clash that saw less than 350 runs scored over more than 60 overs.

With the ball, India were excellent. Dismissing the likes of Seifert, Mitchell and Phillips for less than 40 runs each was impressive, with their removal of the latter crucial after Phillips had proved a serious thorn in their side across their recent T20 series.

While Rohit Sharma (0) and Shubman Gill (37) were not at their best, Kohli was exceptional once again. His score of 74 from 51 was the only impressive return as the touring side struggled to score consistently. Both sides were underwhelming with the bat across the match, making Kohli's score even more important.

The second ODI provides arguably India's greatest ever player the opportunity to build on his average of 69.00 in the ODI game in 2026. Scores of 93, 23, 124, 5, 65, 74, 139 not out, 29, 0 and 74 showcase a player that is still enjoying his cricket at the tender age of 37.

India's impressive run of seven wins in their last 10 ODI's is one they will be confident they can extend, and I back them to do just that. If Kohli continues to score well, then New Zealand will seriously struggle.

Verdict

New Zealand v India 2nd ODI

I am backing India to go 2-0 up against their hosts as Kohli continues to showcase his incredible ability to score runs.

India

Match Winner

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Batter Milestones

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