5 Indian Players Whose Performance Cost India The ODI Series vs New Zealand

New Zealand’s historic ODI series win in India exposed key flaws in the home side. Here are five Indian players whose struggles proved costly against the Kiwis.

India lost the ODI series 2-1 to New Zealand

Source : PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• New Zealand secured historic first ODI series win in India.
• Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer struggled with the bat.
• Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav underperformed with wickets and runs.

New Zealand beat India in Indore by 41 runs to clinch the match, as well as the One Day International (ODI) series 2-1 on Sunday, January 18, 2026.

The fact that this was New Zealand's first-ever ODI series victory on Indian soil, despite the absence of some big names, made it a historic feat. 

As far as the Indian camp is concerned, there were sparks, particularly from Virat Kohli, who continued shining bright in the 50-over format, scoring a ton in a losing cause, there have been certain players whose underperformance cost Shubman Gill's side the series.

IND vs NZ ODIs: India's Worst Performers

1) Rohit Sharma

As unfortunate as it is to have a veteran like Rohit Sharma on this list, it cannot be denied his bat failing to fire held India back at the top. 

He recorded scores of 26, 24, and 11. Two of these came when the team was chasing a 300+ score. While they were able to hold on in the first fixture, his 11-run outing was a big reason for the unsuccesful chase in the decider clash.

2) Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is another batsman who has played several notable innings for India in the past, but besides his 49 in the first IND vs NZ ODI, did nothing remarkable in the series.

He scored 8 in Rajkot, which didn't help in setting up a daunting target, and was then dismissed on 3 runs chasing 338, which rendered India 68/3 in 11.2 overs.

3) Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been India's best all-rounder for many years, particularly after the departure of names like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. However, the sun seems to be setting on his best years.

He looked uninspiring on the field, failed to take any wickets and did not score much with the bat either, recording scores of 4, 27 and 12 across the three matches.

4) Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is another surprising name on this list, as he is one of India's go-to wicket takers. However, the spinner couldn't spin any webs this time around.

He picked just three wickets in the three ODIs, and even conceded 82 runs in the second fixture, which proved detrimental to India's defense.

5) Prasidh Krishna

Prasidh Krishna did decently in the series, picking 3 wickets across the two matches that he played. However, the fast bowler doesn't seem like much of a threat, particularly in the middle overs.

Prasidh also tends to leak runs, and while someone like Harshit Rana wasn't very economical either, he did compensate that with wickets and big hits with the bat.