Mount Maunganui, November 2026 : Will Young struck a magnificent 125 off 108 balls, while Tim Seifert provided an explosive start with a 48-ball 58 as New Zealand posted a challenging 333 for the loss of wickets in their allotted 50 overs against India in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval on Friday.
Asked to bat first by India captain Shreyas Iyer, the hosts capitalised on two early reprieves for Young and built a strong platform despite losing four wickets during the final 10 overs. India now need 334 runs to win and strengthen their position in the five-match series.
Young’s innings, his fifth century in ODIs and first against India, featured 14 fours and four sixes. Seifert contributed six boundaries and three maximums. For India, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi claimed two wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh and Naman Dhir picked up one apiece. Kuldeep Yadav, making his first appearance on the tour, went wicketless after conceding 73 runs in eight overs.
Seifert Attacks as India Miss Early Chances
New Zealand began positively, with Young opening his account through a well-timed boundary off the final delivery of Arshdeep Singh’s first over. Seifert quickly took the attack to India, driving Auqib Nabi for four before pulling a free-hit for six after the bowler overstepped.
India's fielding troubles surfaced in the same over. Rohit Sharma failed to hold a straightforward catch at slip off Young, while wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan also put down an outside edge on the next delivery, giving the New Zealand opener two early reprieves.
Seifert made the most of the opportunities, taking on Gurnoor Brar with a six over long-on and collecting 15 runs from a Nabi over. He reached his maiden ODI half-century from 42 balls in the 10th over, becoming the first New Zealand batter to score a fifty inside the opening 10 overs of an ODI against India.
New Zealand finished the powerplay at 72 without loss. However, Brar broke the 85-run opening partnership in the 12th over when Seifert top-edged a short delivery. Kishan ran to his left and completed an impressive diving catch. Brar’s animated send-off prompted Virat Kohli to intervene, while umpire Chris Brown later spoke to the pacer.
Axar and Nabi Trigger Middle-Order Collapse
Axar Patel dismissed Nick Kelly for four through a stumping, while Nabi removed Dean Foxcroft for eight with a short delivery that produced a top edge caught at fine leg.
Young found support from Finn Allen, and the pair added 90 runs for the fourth wicket. They attacked Kuldeep in the 26th over, taking 19 runs, including a six off a free-hit delivery. Axar eventually ended the partnership when Rohit took a diving catch at short cover to dismiss Allen for 41.
Young continued to dominate and completed his half-century in the 20th over. He reached his century from 88 deliveries in the 32nd over, recording his first ODI hundred since scoring 107 against Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The right-hander survived a blow to his helmet grille while attempting a reverse-sweep and also benefited after India lost a review against him. His innings finally ended when substitute fielder Kumar Kushagra held a catch at the second attempt as Young attempted to slog-sweep Naman Dhir.
Late Wickets Restrict New Zealand to 333
Dhir then took a sharp catch at deep backward square leg to help Brar dismiss Michael Bracewell for 15, leaving New Zealand at 258 for six.
Captain Mitchell Santner, who had earlier been dropped by Rohit off Dhir, hit the off-spinner for two sixes before Arshdeep had him caught behind for 24. Kristian Clarke scored 22, while Kyle Jamieson remained unbeaten on 19. Nabi dismissed Clarke leg-before.
New Zealand lost their final two wickets through run-outs off the last two deliveries. Nabi hit the stumps directly to dismiss Matt Henry, while Kohli combined with Kishan to run out Matthew Fisher.
Despite the late wickets, New Zealand finished with 333 on a surface that continued to offer good batting conditions. India’s batters now face the task of producing a substantial chase to secure victory.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 333 in 50 overs (Will Young 125, Tim Seifert 58; Axar Patel 2/39, Auqib Nabi 2/59) against India.
