3 key points Team India should learn form New Zealand's IND vs NZ ODI series win

The loss of the 3-match ODI series can be a good lesson for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. On Sunday (January 18), New Zealand gained a commanding victory under a must-win situation, as the scoreline was 1-1 ahead of the third of the three-match ODI series. After winning the toss, the hosts started things off on a positive note. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana did the damage quickly with the new ball in hand. The momentum India gained in the initial stage, started to fade away as soon as Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106) docked in the middle. With the double century, New Zealand registered 337/8 in the 50-over limit.

On paper, India had the firepower to overcome the mountain-sized total. In reality, apart from Virat Kohli, who played a 124-run knock, and young Nitish Kumar Reddy, who accompanied Kohli with a 53-run innings, there was no other batter who showed the required intention against such a challenging target. Against NZ's 337, India managed to get 296 runs against all ten wickets. New Zealand claims the series by winning the third match and provides the Men in Blue some much-required lessons.

3 key points Team India should learn from New Zealand's series win:

1. Performing in do-or-die situations:

Performing under pressure is not everyone's cup of tea; it is an art. New Zealand arrived in India as the underdog to win the ODI series. Team India won the first match as per the expectations. The second ODI was a must-win match for the Kiwis to stretch the contest until the last match, and they did it. They picked up the much-needed win chasing a target of 285 runs. Like the third match, in this match too, there were only two batters – KL Rahul and Shubman Gill performed as per expectations; the rest underperformed mostly. The same can be said for the bowling line-up.

Read More: Watch: Ravindra Jadeja takes a stunning catch to dismiss Will Young in IND vs NZ 2026 3rd ODI

2. Overreliance on Virat Kohli:

The second innings of the third match turned into Virat Kohli vs New Zealand from India vs New Zealand. It would be fair to say that Virat Kohli masters the art of run chance under any circumstances. When Rohit Sharma, captain Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer departed cheaply, the responsibility rested entirely on Virat Kohli’s shoulders. New Zealand was able to pile up the runs because of the combination of Mitchell and Phillips; India needed something like that – a partnership which could make the difference. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 22, tried his best to form a match-turning partnership with Kohli, but that was not enough. While Harshit Rana scored a half-century as a lower-order batter, Ravindra Jadeja, one of the most senior cricketers of the match, failed to perform. On home soil, Jadeja scored his last century in 2013.

3. India have failed to pick up wickets in middle overs:

Batting alone is not enough to get a win every day for any time. As cricket is a team game, bowlers also need to perform significantly with the batters. The IND vs NZ ODI series defeat discloses the weak points of the Indian bowling line-up. Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja – the spinner duo of India – proved tense and ineffective against Mitchell and Phillips. In fact, in the whole series, the Indian performance of Indian spinners was nothing but disappointing.

Indian spinners in this series:

Overs Bowled: 53

Runs Conceded: 350

Wickets: 3

Average: 116.67

Economy: 6.60

Like India, New Zealand cricket is also going through a transition phase. The squad that was deployed in the ODI series was a mixture of experienced and emerging cricketers. Comparably, apart from Reddy, India named a proven setup for the contest but still fell short in front of the visitors. Did the selectors select a wrong combination, or was it only a bad patch for the team? The team management must address these issues before the 2026 T20 World Cup.