KL Rahul’s century went in vain in Rajkot, know the 3 biggest reasons for Team India’s defeat

By Samira Vishwas On Jan 16, 2026

IND vs NZ 2nd ODI: In the second ODI played between India and New Zealand, Team India had to face a crushing defeat of 7 wickets. Batting first, India had made a challenging score of 284 runs.

IND vs NZ 2nd ODI: In the second ODI played between India and New Zealand, Team India had to face a crushing defeat of 7 wickets. Batting first, India had set a challenging score of 284 runs, which the Kiwis easily achieved in 47.3 overs. KL Rahul scored a brilliant 100 runs, but in the end his innings proved to be in vain.

Bowlers not being able to take wickets

Indian bowlers completely disappointed on the flat pitch of Rajkot. New Zealand’s batsmen, especially Darrell Mitchell (131)* and Will Young (87) made the Indian bowling attack look ordinary. During the entire match, the bowlers were seen yearning for wickets, due to which the Kiwi batsmen could never be put under pressure.

New Zealand win the 2nd ODI in Rajkot and level the series 1⃣-1⃣
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/x1fEenI0xl#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/XZioDArcsG
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2026

Apart from Gill-Rahul, batting flop show

Opener Shubhman Gill (56) and KL Rahul (100) in the middle order played excellent innings and took the team to a respectable score. But apart from these two, no other batsman of the team could make a big contribution. Due to the faltering middle order, India could not reach the score of 300+, which was considered safe on this pitch.

Bad fielding and catch drop

Team India’s fielding during the match was also not up to standard. On many occasions, there was laxity in stopping the runs and due to dropped catches, the Kiwi batsmen got a lease of life. This slowness of fielding made the task of Kiwi team even easier.

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Now the decision will be taken in Indore

The series has now reached an exciting turn at 1-1. The third and decisive match of the series will be played on January 18 (Sunday) at Holkar Stadium, Indore. Team India will have to improve its fielding and death over bowling to win the series.