India seemed shorn of their aura in the absence of talismanic skipper Virat Kohli as pacer Trent Boult's fiery five-wicket haul guided New Zealand to a stunning eight-wicket win in the fourth ODI at Hamilton on Thursday.
With Kohli rested after the side claimed an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, India's much-vaunted batting was dismissed for its seventh-lowest ODI total -- 92 in 30.5 overs -- after Boult (5/21) dished out a deadly opening spell.
It was also the lowest total posted by any side on this venue, the previous lowest of 122 also against India's name.
Boult, the man of the match, wreaked havoc with the new ball and in Colin de Grandhomme's (3/26) company, he utilised the swinging conditions at the Seddon Park perfectly.
Here are what the two captains and the MoM have said after the match:
Rohit Sharma, India Captain
One Of India's Worst - One of our worst performances with the bat in a long, long time. Something we didn't expect. You got to give credit to the NZ bowlers. It was a magnificent effort. Something to learn for us. At times, you need to absorb pressure (when asked about how to bat in swinging conditions). We need to blame ourselves for it. Thing were looking good at that stage. It was about applying ourselves. Once you get in, things will start to look easier. We played some bad shots as well.
Swing matters - It's always challenging when the ball is swinging. Having a good run in the limited formats for a number of series. Everyone knows what went wrong. There will be times when it swings and we need to deal with it. When you are playing for your country, you try to give your best. Good teams usually keep ticking the boxes and today we didn't tick the right boxes.
Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain
One of those days - We didn't expect the surface to behave like this. Nice to restrict them to a 90-odd total. It stood up a little bit and nipped a bit. It spun as well. One of those days, things went well. Credit to the areas guys bowled. We always wanted early wickets, to be able to that was a real step in the right direction.
Yes, swing matters - It was swinging, that was a weapon we wanted to use. Because we were able to put India under pressure, we were able to pick regular wickets. We exploited really well and chased down nicely as well. We always play to win and today was an outstanding performance.
Wellington will be different - We'll be on a different surface at Wellington. Cricket will be different. Great to have a win today, Against a team like India, it's going to be a strong challenge. He (Henry Nicholls) played beautifully, it was challenging. (Martin) Guptill whacked it around and other guys chipped in as well. An opportunity to play against the best team in the world - a great opportunity to improve.
Trent Boult, MoM
Good fun - Nice to see the ball moving around, made the most of it. Nice to chase it down as well. It swung around nicely; pretty satisfying. To make most of it is another thing. It was good fun, nice to bowl them out cheaply. I tried to pitch it up as much as possible. It was tough, but to pull it back is satisfying.
Despite the loss, India lead the series 3-1 with the fifth and final ODI is scheduled to be played at Wellington on Sunday.
