Virat Kohli has been left visually frustrated as he failed to grab a ball while attempting to restrict Daryl Mitchell from picking up a swift single as the batter pushed the ball gently towards the mid-off region.
Unlike the previous occasions when India and New Zealand clashed in this series, and the Kiwis scored runs with ease, the Indore pitch has been tricky for them to bat on. The Kiwis lost their two openers early but were relieved to have their two match winners on the pitch.
However, the Indian bowlers still had some special tricks up their sleeves, as Harshit Rana swapped ends and returned to pick the wicket of Will Young, the half-centurion from the previous game, who, alongside Mitchell, had won it for New Zealand.
Virat Kohli left frustrated as he failed to grab the ball
Virat Kohli, the Indian legend, is known for his electrifying efforts on the field. When Mohammed Siraj bowled after the powerplay to Daryl Mitchell, the in-form New Zealand batter drove it uppishly to the mid-off fielder. Kohli stood guard over that region.
Virat Kohli went quickly towards the ball and attempted to grab it with his one hand to exert pressure on the batter with a throw at the stumps. However, Virat repeatedly failed to grab the ball and popped it out of his hands twice.
Frustrated by his failed attempts, he looked to kick the ball but failed in that as well. A hilarious situation erupted in the middle of the Holkar Stadium.
Virat Kohli seemingly frustrated with himself after failing to gather the ball cleanly! 🥲👀#INDvNZ #ODIs #ViratKohli #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/0QPKnDVsH7
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) January 18, 2026
Kohli couldn’t grab the ball , shuffled it in his hands trying to grab it , got frustrated and tried to kick the ball and failed even in that 😂 pic.twitter.com/O8360yMl8u
— ` (@justKohlitweetz) January 18, 2026
New Zealand shift gears as Mitchell-Phillips race to Century partnership
At one stage the Kiwis did not look very much in control, but soon gained control with the half-century partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young, the New Zealand heroes from the previous game.
Daryl Mitchell continued scoring from one end as Glenn Phillips took some time to get going with his innings. Phillips could not break the shackles as he remained silent for nearly 35 balls before he finally got himself going.
As soon as Phillips got going, the runs started coming with a free flow from both ends. The partnership went past the century mark, and at the time of writing, the two had already set the backdrop for a massive total with a 130-run partnership.
India have choked the Kiwis in Indore
India managed to choke the Kiwis in Indore, with the New Zealand veteran batter Daryl Mitchell nearing his second consecutive century in the series. India have managed to exert pressure on the batters initially with some tight bits of fielding.
Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana bowled economically, picking wickets in the powerplay, and Mohammad Siraj, alongside some significant contributions from the all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, helped to exert some pressure with a tight bit of bowling.
But with the partnership building between the Kiwi batters, India could not keep the pressure on the Blackcaps as they counterattacked.
