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The cricket fans across the globe will have to wait for about a month to see Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma again in action for the India National Cricket Team. As both of the batters are nearing international retirement, wherever they played their recent matches for India in the One Day International format, they received a warm welcome from the fans.
After the conclusion of the 5-match ODI series against India, the New Zealand National Cricket Team captain Mitchell Santner was asked about his experience facing the legends of Indian cricket. The Blackcaps captain mentioned that it was 'still cool' to play against Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Roko for maybe the last time in New Zealand: Mitchell Santner
Explaining his experience playing against Rohit and Virat, Mitchell Santner told the reporters that due to the fans' engagement throughout the series, they felt they were playing in an away series. The skipper reckoned that this series was probably the Indian batting duo's final visit in New Zealand as national team cricketers.
"Yeah, the crowd's been really good throughout the series. Obviously, trying to see Roko for maybe the last time in New Zealand, but it's been really cool. I think it might have felt like we're playing away most of the games, but I think whenever we can play in front of sellout crowds in New Zealand, even if they are going for India, it's still cool," Mitchell Santner said.
Santner speaks about the excitement around RO-KO whenever they take the field. 🗣️ #MitchellSantner #RohitSharma #ViratKohli #NZvsIND #CricketMatlabCREX https://t.co/W8FWspZbQo
— CREX (@Crex_live) November 15, 2026
India wins the 5th ODI and the series as well
The low-scoring match today (November 15) pulled out the real character of the Indian cricket team. On the pace-friendly track at the Bay Oval, batters of both teams had to toil hard for every single run.
Team India registered 209 runs for ten wickets, batting first in the match. New Zealand started the chase well but fell short by 22 runs. Arshdeep Singh was adjudged the Player of the Match for his explosive 14-run knock and 3/30 bowling figure in 10 overs.
India went down against the Blackcaps in the fourth match of the 5-ODI series, but won the contest by 3-1 after winning the final match. Winning an ODI series against New Zealand is a significant result for the Indian cricket team ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
They won the series, but their batting will remain a concern, as their prepare for the upcoming tournament World Cup will be in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
An underwhelming ODI series for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both remained far from their calibre in New Zealand. Virat Kohli started the contest well with a 51-ball 74 in the first ODI. The rest of the series did not go well for the batter as he finished the series with an average of only 21.5, his second-worst performance in a bilateral series since 2014.
Rohit Sharma's batting stats were lower than Virat's stats in the recently concluded series. The 39-year-old opener returned with an average of 7.5, which is also his second-lowest average for India in the format.
Read More: Gautam Gambhir takes subtle dig at Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, says 'bowlers win you series'
