Gurnoor Barar sets record by taking 4 wickets in India vs New Zealand ODI match

In the first day match between India and New Zealand, held at Eden Park stadium in Auckland, the Indian batsmen demonstrated an impressive performance. Before the powerful displays by the Indian players, the New Zealand team was struggling, losing 9 wickets for 146 runs.

At this moment, fast bowler Blair Tickner came onto the field to bat at number 11 and created a real storm. Tickner launched a lightning attack, scoring 34 runs with one four and four sixes in just 23 balls, thereby setting a major world record in ODI cricket format.

During this aggressive innings, Blair Tickner hit three sixes in the last over bowled by Arsh Deep Singh. Because of this, he became the third player in ODI history to hit four sixes in a single innings while batting at number 11. Before him, this feat was achieved only by Mohammad Amir of Pakistan (four sixes against England in 2016) and Naseem Shah of New Zealand (four sixes against New Zealand in 2025).

Tickner's achievement broke the 23-year record set by legendary fast bowler Shane Bond. Bond hit three sixes against India in Auckland on January 11, 2003. Now, after 23 years, Blair Tickner has created new history by hitting four sixes. This elite group also includes Chris Priingle (2 sixes against West Indies in 1994) and Trent Boult (2 sixes against Sri Lanka in 2015).

Thanks to this counter-attacking innings, the New Zealand team managed to achieve a competitive total of 185 runs in 40.2 overs. In the New Zealand team, Tim Seifert scored 38 runs, and Glenn Phillips scored 30 runs. For India, Arsh Deep Singh took 4 wickets, Gurnoor Barar took 3 wickets, and Anshul Kamboj took 2 wickets.

Amidst the rapid development of T20 cricket, where batsmen often score heavily, Anshul Kamboj made a strong impression with his bowling performance in New Zealand. During the first ODI match at Eden Park in Auckland, Kamboj took 2 wickets, conceding only 22 runs in 10 overs, resulting in an economy rate of 2.20.

The entire New Zealand team was eventually brought to a score of 185 runs after 40.2 overs. This match marked Kamboj's best performance in international competition at the age of 25, as he prevented the New Zealand batsmen from playing freely. His strength lay in his ability to move the ball in both directions: sometimes it went in, and sometimes it went out. He consistently bowled with good length, slightly shorter, and surprised the batsmen by varying his length, sometimes bowling full and sometimes short, which caused difficulties for the New Zealand players in scoring runs.

Kamboj secured the first wicket against Santner, dismissing the captain. This happened on the first ball of the 27th over when Kamboj's delivery touched the inside edge of Santner's bat and went into the wicket. Santner tried to stop the ball, but it came in and led to the loss of a wicket. After this, Kamboj celebrated very energetically.

The impact of Kamboj's play was also evident in the 28.3 over, when Nathan Smith fell victim to him. Kamboj bowled a good-length ball outside off-stump, which became straight after hitting the pitch. Smith tried to defend by moving forward, but the ball touched the outside edge of the bat and flew towards the second slip. Virat Kohli executed a magnificent one-handed catch there, diving to the right. The third umpire confirmed the catch, showing in replay that the ball was in Virat's hands before it hit the ground. After this, Virat celebrated the moment in his signature style, pointing towards the dressing room.

Indian captain Shubman Gill decided to start the game with bowling after the toss. In this match, India fielded four specialized fast bowlers: Anshul Kamboj, Akib Nabi, Guruon Barar, and Arshad Singh. These four combined had experience in 29 ODI matches. Mohammad Siraj was not included in the starting XI, and instead of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin all-rounder Naman Diar was selected. Facing this young attacking bowling attack, the task was to prove their worth in New Zealand conditions. However, the Indian bowlers did not allow the hosts to play freely.

The entire New Zealand team was brought to a score of 185 runs in 40.2 overs. The most outstanding performance, however, was demonstrated by Kamboj through his restrained bowling. He showed that even in modern aggressive cricket, control of the ball, correct length, and movement in both directions can create serious problems for batsmen. In New Zealand, Kamboj strengthened the trust in the Indian team.

Guruon Barar took 3 wickets, conceding 44 runs in 9.2 overs. Arshad Singh took 4 wickets, conceding 70 runs in 10 overs, while Akshar Patel conceded only 12 runs in 5 overs. Akib Nabi failed to take any wickets, conceding 33 runs in 6 overs.

Although Arshad Singh conceded 70 runs in 10 overs, his performance was not bad throughout the day. His last over proved quite expensive, which affected his statistics, despite him taking 4 wickets. After New Zealand reached a score of 185 runs, a good opportunity opened up for the Indian batsmen to chase the target at Eden Park. Considering how the bowlers restricted the home team's score, achieving this target looks relatively easy for India.

The first ODI match between India and New Zealand will take place in Auckland. Indian captain Shubman Gill decided to win the toss and start the game with a toss. For this match, the Indian team selected four fast bowlers.

Gill explained his choice by noting that there are clouds overhead and mentioned that if the number of overs is limited due to weather conditions, having a target on the board would be advantageous. The team expressed enthusiasm and readiness for the series. Gill also suggested that the conditions in New Zealand would be very similar to those found in South Africa.

Four fast bowlers were included in the Indian squad: Anshul Kamboj, Akib Nabi, Guruveer Barar, and Arshdeep Singh. Additionally, Axar Patel and Naman Dir were part of the starting lineup. The team also includes captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul.

It should be noted that the squad was different in the last match against West India, which took place on October 3rd in New Chandigarh: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rituraj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dir, Anshul Kamboj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Guruveer Barar. In that match, Mohammed Siraj, Rituraj Gaikwad, Kuldeep Yadav, and Nitish Reddy did not get a chance.

In that match on October 3rd, the Indian team scored 351/7 runs, but thanks to Sai Hope's unbeaten knock of 162 runs, West India won by 5 wickets with 10 balls remaining. Nevertheless, the Indian team won the series 2-1.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner announced that Devon Conway sustained a head injury the day before and will rest, thus not participating in this match. He will be replaced by Tim Seifert. Santner discussed the top order of the New Zealand team, specifying that Tim Seifert, Will Young, and Henry Nicholls will start the game. He also touched upon player opportunities and squad depth. According to Santner, due to the tight schedule of both teams, players are rotated, giving new players a chance to prove themselves. He also noted that the New Zealand team, like India, will take the field with four bowlers.

India Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dir, Anshul Kamboj, Akib Nabi, Guruveer Barar, and Arshdeep Singh. New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, and Blair Tickner.