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India National Cricket Team has been playing the New Zealand National Cricket Team in a five-match ODI series. After the conclusion of the second ODI match, Indian team batter KL Rahul made a heartwarming gesture towards a staff member at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington. The Men in Blue won the game by 4 runs by the DLS method.
Shubman Gill’s side has been performing well in the ODI series, as the pace bowling attack of the Men in Blue has been brilliant in the first two games of the series; they have dismantled the Kiwi batting line-up, bundling them out for under 200 runs in the first two matches of the series. A win in the next game would help them win the series.
KL Rahul does a heartwarming gesture towards a staff member of Hnry Stadium
KL Rahul won the ‘Gamechanger of the Match’ award for his fighting innings. He played a crucial knock of 26* runs off 38 deliveries and was stuck at one end despite wickets falling at the other, and helped the side win the game. The wicketkeeper-batter has been the backbone of India’s middle and lower-middle-order batting.
After he was awarded the prize indoors due to the rain-affected game, KL Rahul won a phone in the award, and he handed over the mobile to one of the female staff members of the stadium, as she was happy to have received the gift from the stylish wicketkeeper-batter. This was a beautiful gesture by the cricketer towards the non-playing staff.
Big player. Bigger heart 💙 🎥 An act of kindness and pure 𝙆𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙨 🙌 #TeamIndia | #NZvIND | @klrahul https://t.co/BgT005WZlp
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 8, 2026
After receiving the award, she said, via BCCI, “He just gave me the phone that he won. I am a bit shocked, but it was very kind of him to hand it over to me. I was not expecting it, that’s for sure.”
India bowlers stand tall yet again
Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to field first. Both sides fielded the same team from the first game. Yet again, it was India’s pacer who had a brilliant start as they removed the two Kiwi openers, Tim Seifert and Henry Nicholls, early on in the innings.
The wickets kept on tumbling as they were reduced to 55/5 at one stage, and from there Daryl Mitchell (55) and skipper Mitchell Santner (31) helped the side to go past the 100-run mark as they were bowled out for 134 runs. Gurnoor Brar picked up 4 wickets; Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi and Axar Patel picked two wickets each.
KL Rahul, the crisis man for India
While chasing, Shubman Gill was back in the pavilion for a golden duck; Virat Kohli was also back early after scoring 7 runs. Then Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer stitched a partnership before the former India captain departed for 23 runs. Iyer, after being set, gave his wicket away after he failed to move away from a bouncer and was back for 30 runs.
KL Rahul then came in and stuck at one end, as the crisis man for India was batting at 26 runs when India were 113/7 with 22 runs still needed to win, and the rain came down hard, and the match was called off in favour of India as they were four runs ahead on the DLS score.
Also Read: Ambati Rayudu takes a dig at New Zealand over bowling-friendly pitches after India’s 2nd ODI win
