India Vs New Zealand 2nd ODI 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 this match, Team India had to face a crushing defeat by 7 wickets. With the defeat in Rajkot ODI, the series is now tied at 1-1. After the match, captain Shubman Gill looked very disappointed with his team’s performance, especially bowling and fielding. Captain Gill attributed the defeat to not being able to take wickets in the middle overs and mistakes in fielding.

Shubman Gill told the reason for defeat

In the post match presentation after the second match played against New Zealand, captain Shubman Gill clearly said that not being able to take wickets in the middle overs was the biggest reason for Team India’s defeat. Shubman said, ‘We could not take any wicket in the middle overs. When five fielders are inside the circle and you do not take wickets during that time, it becomes very difficult to defend the target. Even if we had scored 15-20 more runs on the board, it was impossible to win without wickets in the middle overs.

Bowlers should have been a little more aggressive

Captain Gill has given his reaction on the way New Zealand batsmen, especially Darrell Mitchell and Will Young, played the Indian spinners. He admitted that the Indian bowlers performed brilliantly in the beginning, but later they became lax. Gill said, ‘In the first 10-15 overs, the ball was moving a bit and we bowled well. But I think after 20-25 overs the pitch became a bit flat. At that time we needed to be a little more aggressive in bowling. We should have taken a few more risks, which we could not take.

Gill expressed disappointment over fielding mistakes

The fielding of the Indian team has been a matter of concern in the last few matches and in Rajkot too, many catches were missed by the Indian fielders. Expressing his displeasure on this, the captain said, ‘In the last match also we had missed some chances and the same happened today also. That’s an aspect we always try to improve on, especially with this team. But the truth is that in this format, if you do not catch your chances, it will always lead you to defeat. Regarding batting, Gill said that on such pitches it is necessary for the set batsman to last till the end.