India celebrated a convincing five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the rain-affected series opener held on Wednesday at Eden Park, Auckland. The match was highlighted by Virat Kohli's remarkable performance, which included his 80th one-day international half-century and a spectacular catch.

Just a day before his 38th birthday, Kohli showcased his skill by scoring 74 runs off 51 balls, helping India chase down a revised Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target of 143 after multiple rain interruptions. He exited the field after holing out to deep square leg off Jacob Duffy, receiving applause from a largely Indian crowd, underscoring his pivotal role in the 50-over format.

India's innings started steadily, but Kohli's acceleration put them firmly in control as he regularly found the boundary, applying pressure on New Zealand's bowling attack. Even after his departure, India maintained enough of an advantage to secure the win without major challenges.

In stark contrast to their recent T20 success, where they scored 259 for seven, New Zealand struggled, being bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after losing the toss to India captain Shubman Gill. Gill praised the bowling performance, stating, "I think we were very good with the bowling. Overall a very good team performance."

The pace duo of Arshdeep Singh (4-70) and Gurnoor Brar (3-44) wreaked havoc on New Zealand's top order, while all-rounder Anshul Kamboj, in his second ODI, took two wickets for just 22 runs in 10 overs, earning the man of the match award. Kohli also contributed significantly in the field, executing a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Nathan Smith.

Tim Seifert, filling in for the injured Devon Conway, was New Zealand's top scorer with 38 runs in his first ODI appearance in over 18 months. With this victory, India gains an early edge in the five-match series, bolstered by a strong all-round performance under challenging weather conditions.