Published on: Nov 4, 2026 1:29 pm IST|Updated on: Nov 4, 2026 1:33 pm IST
New Zealand is currently hosting Team India in the first of the five ODIs at Eden Park in Auckland. The Indian bowlers, with a remarkable bowling display, have restricted the hosts to a paltry 185, courtesy of a 4-fer from Arshdeep Singh, a 2-fer from Anshul Kamboj, and a 3-fer from Gurnoor Brar. As New Zealand’s wickets were falling every now and then, the collapse saw Glenn Phillips coming out to bat at no. 6.
As soon as Glenn Phillips walked out to the crease, Virat Kohli greeted him with WWE legend John Cena’s iconic “You Can’t See Me” gesture. The moment drew laughs because Cena’s entrance music was playing in the stadium when Phillips came in to bat. The gesture was nothing but friendly banter as Kohli opted for a playful moment on the field when his team was in command of the game.
John Cena’s entrance theme, ‘Your Time’s Up, My Time is Now,’ has been associated with the Kiwi batter whenever he comes out to bat. The DJs don’t shy away from playing that music whenever Glenn Phillips comes out to bat, especially when he is playing at home. Kohli was fully aware of that connection and was up with the ‘You Can’t See Me’ gesture when Phillips arrived to bat in a dire situation with New Zealand 4 down for 84.
Team India came all prepared for the ODI series as they seized control over the Blackcaps from the get-go. Opting to bowl first on a spicy track after winning the toss, the Indian bowlers didn’t disappoint their skipper as they kept chipping away at the Blackcaps with wickets at crucial junctures.
New Zealand lost four of their key wickets in 17 overs, with Arshdeep Singh doing the bulk of the damage, whereas Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar also joined the party. The new-look Indian pace attack proved to be too good for the Blackcaps, as the trio shared as many as 9 wickets between them.
Arshdeep was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 70 in his full quota of overs, whereas Gurnoor took 3 for 44 in 9.2 overs, and Anshul finished with 2 for 22 in 10 overs with an impressive economy rate to bowl the hosts for a paltry 185 in just 40.2 overs. Tim Seifert was the most successful batter for the Blackcaps with 38 off 43 deliveries, followed by the no. 11 batter Blair Tickner, who impressed with a quick-fire 34 off 23 deliveries.
In reply, Team India lost Rohit Sharma early for a duck in the very first over itself, with only a single run on the board. However, after the senior batter departed, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill took the charge and stitched together a 53-run stand off 59 deliveries, taking Team India’s score to 54 for the loss of one wicket in 10.5 overs before rain interrupted the game. At the time of writing, India needed 132 runs from another 39.5 overs; however, after the rain interruption, the target is set to be revised courtesy of the DLS method.