The beginning of the ODI captaincy of acting captain Shreyas Iyer for the Indian cricket team that went on New Zealand tour was no less than a nightmare. In the debut match of Iyer, who took command of the team for the fourth and fifth ODIs in the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill, India suffered its biggest (in terms of runs) defeat in the last 26 years and the most embarrassing 244-run defeat in history against New Zealand. In the fourth ODI played at Bay Oval (Mount Maunganui) on Friday, 13 November 2026, the entire Indian team was all out for just 89 runs in reply to New Zealand's 333 runs. With this crushing defeat, the excitement of the five-match series has reached its peak—India now lead the series only 2-1 (the third ODI was washed out by rain), and now the entire ODI series is at stake in the fifth and final match on Sunday, 15 November 2026.
The fourth ODI proved to be very disappointing for Shreyas Iyer at both the individual and collective level. Their decision to bowl first after winning the toss backfired as Will Young (125) and Tim Seifert (58) took the Indian bowlers to task. After this, while chasing the target, Matt Henry (6/27) destroyed the Indian top order by hitting a triple-wicket maiden in the very first over. Captain Shreyas Iyer, who came to the crease after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were out on zero, also got LBW on the very first ball. With this, Iyer became the first Indian captain to be out for a duck on his ODI captaincy debut, while India suffered its biggest ODI defeat since 2000.
| Match Number | Date & Venue | Result of the match | series status |
| 1st ODI | 4 November 2026, Auckland | India won by 5 wickets (DLS rules) | India leads 1-0 |
| 2nd ODI | 7 November 2026, Wellington | India won by 4 runs (DLS rules) | India leads 2-0 |
| 3rd ODI | 10 November 2026, Hamilton | No result due to rain | India leads 2-0 |
| 4th ODI | 13 November 2026, Mount Maunganui | New Zealand won by 244 runs | India leads 2-1 |
| 5th ODI | 15 November 2026, Mount Maunganui | Series Decider | From 07:30 am Indian time |
If New Zealand wins the fifth ODI on Sunday, the series will end 2-2 and the series win will slip away from India's hands. In such a situation, the challenge before captain Shreyas Iyer and the coaching staff is to make four major strategic changes:
-
Opting to bat after winning the toss: The Bay Oval pitch has been relatively easy to bat on in daylight, whereas the new ball swings dangerously under lights as the evening approaches. India can adopt the strategy of batting first and scoring a big score in the fifth match, instead of insisting on choosing bowling after winning the toss continuously in the first four matches.
-
Return of experience in the bowling attack (pair of Siraj and Arshdeep): Resting Mohammed Siraj in the fourth ODI and trying the young fast bowlers (Gurnoor Brar and Aaqib Nabi) proved costly and India gave away 333 runs. Mohammad Siraj's return to the playing XI is considered almost certain to take the initial wicket with the new ball in the decisive match.
-
Responsibility of top order batsmen to handle the opening overs: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and captain Shreyas Iyer himself will have to respect the opening spell of Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson in the first 10 overs. If the top order saves wickets in the powerplay, then Tilak Verma, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel can score runs quickly in the middle order.
-
Considering all-rounder option as third spinner: Kuldeep Yadav proved to be very expensive in the fourth ODI (73 runs in 8 overs). Given the bounce and seam movement of the pitch, the team management may seriously consider including Nitish Kumar Reddy or Tilak Verma to increase the batting depth.
Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper/vice-captain), Axar Patel, Naman Dheer/Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar/Yash Thakur.