By Admin 
India Vs New Zealand 2nd Match: The second match of the ongoing 3-match ODI series between India and New Zealand was played on Wednesday i.e. January 14, 2026 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. In which Team India suffered a shameful defeat by 7 wickets. In this match, Team India had a good start after losing the toss and coming to bat first. However, there was no support from the middle and lower order batsmen. Apart from this, Indian bowlers also could not do anything special in bowling. In such a situation, let us know what were the 5 reasons for Team India’s defeat?
Team India lost Rajkot ODI due to these 5 reasons
1. Middle order failure of Team India
The biggest reason for Team India’s defeat in the second ODI against New Zealand was the failure of the batsmen in the middle order. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma had given India a flying start, but with KL Rahul at the other end in the middle order, no other batsman could hold on. Because of this, Team India’s score remained under 300 runs.
2. Failure of Indian spinners
The second biggest reason for India’s defeat in Rajkot ODI was the failure of the spin bowlers. Especially Team India’s star spinner Kuldeep Yadav flopped badly. Kuldeep gave away 82 runs in his 10 over spell. During this period he got only 1 wicket. Not only Kuldeep, but Ravindra Jadeja also gave away 44 runs in 8 overs. It was because of this disappointing bowling by the spinners that the Indian team could not save the second ODI match.
3. Poor fielding of Indian players
The third biggest reason for the defeat of the Indian team was poor fielding. In this match, Prasidh Krishna had dropped a catch of Daryl Mitchell, when he was playing at the score of 80 runs. Dropping this catch of Prasidh Krishna cost India dearly. After this, Mitchell scored an unbeaten 131 runs and gave a spectacular victory to New Zealand.
4. Indian bowlers not taking wickets in the middle overs.
Captain Shubman Gill himself admitted after the second ODI that Team India had to face defeat because the bowlers could not take even a single wicket during the middle overs. Due to which there was a big partnership of 162 runs between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young, due to which India lost the match.
5. Brilliant century innings by Daryl Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell’s excellent form was also a major reason for the defeat in Rajkot ODI. Daryl Mitchell had performed well in the first ODI. In the second ODI also, Mitchell maintained his form and played a explosive innings. He batted well, especially against spin bowlers, and by scoring a century, he made the target of 285 runs easy for New Zealand.