Shubman Gill, India’s captain, chose to bowl first after winning the toss in the team’s first One Day International (ODI) against New Zealand, being played at Vadodara’s BCA Stadium.
The pitch conditions though seemed to favour batsmen, as the Kiwi’s opening pair were on a roll, stitching a 100-plus run partnership.
However, it wasn’t as if no chances were created by the Indian bowlers. In fact, Harshit Rana, the young fast bowler, almost dismissed Henry Nicholls in the sixth over itself.
Unfortunately, Kuldeep Yadav dropped a somewhat regulation outfield catch, leaving the bowler and his captain frustrated and in disbelief.
Gill, Rana’s Reaction To Kuldeep’s Dropped Catch
Kuldeep Yadav drops a sitter off Harshit’s ball🫣
The reaction from Harshit and Gill says it all👀#Cricket #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/ikeT6dzaLG
— CREX (@Crex_live) January 11, 2026
As can be seen in the X post above, Harshit Rana looks visibly frustrated, while Shubman Gill appears in disbelief with his hands over his head. The batsman then went on hit a half century.
Kuldeep Yadav himself was on the receiving end of a missed opportunity later in this match, when Washington Sundar strayed in-field a tad too far from the boundary rope, missing a regulation catch of Devon Conway.
The Men in Blue have been criticized heavily for their low fielding standards of late. The Asia Cup, played in September last year, also saw them drop a heap of catches.
Both Nicholls and Conway used these lifelines to stitch a 117-run partnership against India in this match before being dismissed by Harshit Rana on 62 and 56 run, respectively.
Rana has been sort of a revelation for the Indian team, having taken 22 wickets in 12 ODIs as of this writing. With the match still being played and overs in hand, the young pacer could increase his tally.
Also Check: New Zealand Openers Henry Nicholls, Devon Conway Smash Records In IND vs NZ 1st ODI