Kohli's special gesture for Matt Henry goes viral after NZ pacer's 6-wicket haul
Virat Kohli displayed a fine example of sportsmanship despite India's crushing defeat against New Zealand in the fourth ODI, presenting pacer Matt Henry with an Indian team jersey following his match-winning performance in the contest on Friday.A video shared by the official Instagram handle of the Blackcaps captured the interaction between the two cricketers after the match. Kohli was seen exchanging a few words with Henry before gifting the New Zealand pacer an Indian jersey, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to the visitors' 244-run victory.Henry had delivered a devastating spell, returning career-best figures of 6/27 to dismantle India's batting line-up.
Chasing New Zealand's 334-run target, the hosts were bowled out for just 89 in 26.4 overs, suffering one of their heaviest defeats in ODI cricket.The right-arm pacer made an immediate impact, removing Rohit Sharma, Kohli and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer for ducks in the opening over itself. The three early dismissals left India reeling and brought back memories of the 2019 World Cup semifinal, when New Zealand had similarly derailed India's campaign.Interestingly, Kohli has managed 59 runs off 60 deliveries against Henry in ODIs, striking at 98.33.
The New Zealand quick has dismissed the Indian batting great three times in the format.Henry's performance also added to his growing record against India. He has now taken four or more wickets against the Men in Blue on four occasions in just 12 ODI innings, the joint-most such instances by a bowler.The six-wicket haul also took him level with Shane Bond for the third-highest number of five-wicket hauls by a New Zealand bowler in ODIs.
Richard Hadlee, with five, and Trent Boult, with six, are ahead of the duo.Earlier in the match, Will Young played a pivotal role in New Zealand's imposing total of 333. The right-hander struck a superb 125 off 108 balls, including 14 fours and four sixes, after receiving two early reprieves.Young initially added 85 runs with opener Tim Seifert, who contributed 58 off 48 deliveries with six fours and three sixes.
Following Seifert's dismissal and a brief middle-order slowdown, Young combined with Finn Allen for another important 90-run partnership. Allen scored 41 off 30 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.New Zealand received further contributions from Mitchell Santner (24), Kristian Clarke (22) and Kyle Jamieson (19 not out) to push their total beyond the 300-run mark. For India, Axar Patel, Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar picked up two wickets apiece.India's response never recovered from Henry's opening burst.
Ishan Kishan top-scored with 27, while Axar Patel and Naman Dhir managed 21 each. The rest of the batting line-up failed to offer meaningful resistance as India folded for 89.Despite the comprehensive defeat, India continue to lead the five-match ODI series 2-1, with the final match set to determine the outcome.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
