India’s one-day tour of New Zealand has been shaped by rain, but not only by rain. Seamer Gurnoor Brar has taken 7 wickets in the two ODIs that were played: 3 for 44 in 9.2 overs at Eden Park on 4 November and 4 for 30 from his full ten overs in Wellington on 7 November, where he was named player of the match. Both wins came under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, and the third ODI in Hamilton on 10 November was abandoned without a ball bowled, so India lead the five-match series 2–0. This piece separates what the scorecards confirm from our own reading, and lists the checks worth making before the next match.
What the scorecards confirm
In Auckland, New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after India chose to field. Arshdeep Singh took 4 for 70 from his ten overs and Brar finished with 3 for 44 from 9.2, with Anshul Kamboj (named player of the match) taking 2 for 22 from ten overs, two of them maidens. The scorecard has Brar involved in the wickets of Tim Seifert (38, caught by a substitute fielder), Tom Latham (3, caught and bowled) and Blair Tickner (34, caught by KL Rahul). Rain then shortened the chase to a DLS target of 143 from 32 overs, which India reached with five wickets down in 22.4 overs, helped by Virat Kohli’s 74 off 51.
In Wellington, rain reduced the match to 47 overs per side, and New Zealand, put in to bat, were bowled out for 134 in 41 overs. Brar’s ten overs cost 30 and included two maidens. Match reports name Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips among his victims, both in the 20th over to leave New Zealand 53 for 5, and Mitchell Santner caught by KL Rahul; none of the sources we read names his fourth. The other wickets went to Auqib Nabi (2 for 31, his first two international wickets according to Al Jazeera), Kamboj (2 for 25) and Axar Patel (2 for 28). India were 113 for 7 after 26 overs when rain ended play, four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109, so they won by four runs. Daryl Mitchell’s 55 off 104 balls was the top score of the game.
| Match | Brar | Balls | Economy | New Zealand | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI, Auckland, 4 Nov | 3/44 (9.2 ov) | 56 | 4.71 | 185 all out (40.2) | India by 5 wkts (DLS) |
| 2nd ODI, Wellington, 7 Nov | 4/30 (10 ov, 2 maidens) | 60 | 3.00 | 134 all out (41) | India by 4 runs (DLS) |
| 3rd ODI, Hamilton, 10 Nov | Did not bowl | 0 | – | No ball bowled | Abandoned |
The arithmetic checks out. Nine overs and two balls is 56 balls and ten overs is 60, so Brar has bowled 116 legal balls: 74 runs from 116 balls is an economy rate of 3.83 per over. Seven wickets in 116 balls is one every 16.6 balls, and 74 runs for seven wickets is an average of 10.6. These are two-match figures, and rain affected both matches, so they are a snapshot and not a verdict.
The wider picture
Brar is not new to the side. Wikipedia lists his ODI debut as June 2026 against Afghanistan in Dharamshala, where he took 3 for 27, and Open magazine says the same. Open also notes that Wellington was his first four-wicket haul in ODIs and the third-best figures by an Indian against New Zealand in men’s ODIs in New Zealand, behind Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath. We have not checked that ranking against a database. The same article says England took 97 off his ten overs at Lord’s and West Indies 96 off him in Guwahati, a reminder that one bowling card is not a trend. Career counts differ between sources, so we leave out his total number of ODIs.
On the selection side, the scorecards show the same five bowling options used in the first two ODIs: Arshdeep, Nabi, Kamboj, Brar and Axar. Outlook India lists the same five bowlers in the XI named for the abandoned third match, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Naman Dhir completing the side. Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav are in the squad but were not in that XI. Reports before the third ODI said New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson, with a torn right calf, would miss the last two ODIs and that Tickner was on a seven-day stand-down after a blow to the helmet; both are unconfirmed for the fourth match until teams are named.
What it suggests: our reading
This section is editorial analysis and not confirmed fact. In Wellington the key variable looks like pitch and length: Brar told reporters that all four of his wickets came from back-of-a-length balls or bouncers and that he was “bowling to my strengths”, and he contrasted the extra bounce there with flatter pitches in India, according to SportsAdda. Auckland gave him 44 runs but three wickets, so his wicket-taking has so far held across two different grounds. What we cannot tell from two matches is whether he is a new-ball or middle-overs option, because the sources we read give the totals and key dismissals but not his over-by-over spells.
A second observation concerns the format. A seam bowler’s ten-over allotment matters in one-day cricket, and rain-reduced games change it: in Wellington the 47-over match still allowed a full ten overs each, but a more severe cut would limit what any bowler can contribute. Because the Hamilton game was lost to rain and Tauranga’s forecast is not something we have verified, the fourth ODI could again be affected by weather.
Fantasy checks
These are checks, not picks, and nothing here promises points.
- Confirm the XI. Brar was in the named side for the abandoned match, but the XI for the fourth ODI is only certain after the toss; squad members such as Siraj could return.
- Check how your contest scores bowlers. Wicket points, maiden bonuses and economy-rate bands differ by platform and format, and one-day contests are not scored like T20 ones.
- Look at the conditions. Wellington’s extra bounce was part of the story there; read the pitch and weather reports for Tauranga rather than assuming it will repeat.
- Respect the sample. Two matches, 7 wickets and a first four-wicket haul are encouraging but small; the heavy figures against England and the West Indies mentioned above show the range.
- Read the rules. Captain multipliers and rain-reduced-match rules vary; see our form guide, captain guide and scoring primer.
Brar’s seven wickets are real and his Wellington spell was the best of the series so far, but the tour has given us only two bowled innings and one lost day. The useful questions are plain ones: is he in the XI, how many overs will the weather allow, and how does your contest value a wicket compared with a tight economy rate.
Quick questions
What were Gurnoor Brar’s figures in the first two ODIs?
In the first ODI at Eden Park on 4 November he took 3 wickets for 44 runs in 9.2 overs. In the second ODI in Wellington on 7 November he took 4 for 30 from 10 overs with two maidens and was named player of the match. Together that is 7 wickets for 74 runs in 19.2 overs.
Who won the series so far?
India lead the five-match ODI series 2–0 after winning by five wickets (DLS) in Auckland and by four runs (DLS) in Wellington. The third ODI in Hamilton on 10 November was abandoned without a ball bowled.
When is the next ODI?
A Yahoo Sports match preview lists the fourth ODI for Friday 13 November at Bay Oval, Tauranga, starting at 3:00 pm local time. Check the official schedule before you plan.
Is this fantasy advice?
No. It lists things to check, such as the confirmed XI, conditions and your contest’s bowling-points rules. Contest rules vary by platform and nothing here guarantees points.
For earlier coverage of the tour, see our Tim Seifert analysis, the Glenn Phillips analysis, the series preview and the match centre.
Sources
Scorecards: ESPN (1st ODI), ESPN (1st ODI summary), ESPN (2nd ODI) and ESPN (2nd ODI summary). Wellington report: Al Jazeera, SportsAdda and Open magazine. Third ODI and India’s XI: Outlook India. Fourth ODI details and injury news: Yahoo Sports. Background on Brar: Wikipedia and the tour page on Wikipedia.