Virat Kohli's India suffers worst ODI series loss since 1989 after New Zealand complete 3-0 whitewash

New Zealand defeated India by five wickets and completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the One-Day International (ODI) series on Tuesday. It was sweet revenge after they received a 5-0 thrashing in the Twenty20 International (T20I) series against the same opponents last month.

Chasing India's target of 297, the Kiwis sealed the match with 3.5 overs to spare. Opening batsman Henry Nicholls was the Player of the Match for his 103-ball 80. Nichols and Martin Guptill boosted New Zealand's chase with their 100-plus-run stand for the opening wicket. Following Guptill's dismissal for 66 from 46 balls, Nichols took charge. Later on, it was all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme who remained unbeaten to see the Kiwis cross the line successfully. He scored an unbeaten 58 from 28 balls as he hit three sixes and six boundaries.

The Kiwis handed India their worst ODI series loss in as many as 31 years. It was Team India's first whitewash in a bilateral ODI series of three or more games since 1989. The last time the Indians suffered a clean sweep loss was a 5-0 loss in the West Indies under the captaincy of Dilip Vengsarkar.

It was a below-par series for the Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who ended with just 75 runs having batted three times. It was also Kohli's lowest tally of runs in the end of a series as India's captain, poorer than the 89 and 148 he had registered against West Indies and New Zealand in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Kohli also ended the series averaging 25 – his lowest since the 16.33 he had averaged in 2015 in a series against Bangladesh.

After losing the match at Bay Oval on Tuesday, the skipper insisted that India's performance was not as bad as the scoreline suggested.

"The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. The batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn't enough to win games. We didn't deserve to be on the winning side at all this series. We haven't played so badly, but we didn't grab opportunities.

It was a good experience for the new guys who came in. They are still finding their feet. They (New Zealand) played with a lot more intensity than we did. They deservedly won 3-0. We are excited about the Test series. We now have a balanced team. We feel we can win the series, but we need to step out on the park with the right kind of mindset," the Indian captain added in his interview at the post-match presentation.