Harshit Rana, Shubman Gill Can’t Believe As Kuldeep Yadav Drop Absolute Sitter In 1st ODI vs NZ
Not the absolute best fielder in the world, but Kuldeep Yadav isn’t someone who is known to produce disasters on the field. Yet, in the first ODI of the 3-match series against New Zealand on Sunday, Kuldeep dropped an absolute sitter on the bowling of Harshit Rana, leaving both the pacer and skipper Shubman Gill in absolute disbelief. It was Henry Nicholls, who looked to take charge after a slow start to the innings. Chasing after a short and wide delivery, however, he got top edge, but Kuldeep’s blunder earned him a lifeline.
Kuldeep, arguably India’s best spinner at the moment, had a forgettable moment in the field, as he ran in from the third man to grab Nicholls’ catch. But the ball popped out of his hand as he hit the ground. India had the opportunity to bag the first wicket in the 6th over, but it went begging.
Harshit and Gill couldn’t hide their frustration, especially as India struggled to break the opening partnership in the first power play.
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
India Opted To Bowl First
India captain Shubman Gill opted to field first after winning a rare toss. Gill confirmed that India picked 6 bowling options in the playing XI despite snubbing all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
“We will bowl first. Honestly, try different kinds of combinations, you know, see what combination suits us the best for different conditions, obviously when we play in India. Whenever you’re bowling second, there’s a bit of a challenge with the dew, and so try out what kind of combination suits our condition the best. It looks like a good wicket. Hopefully, I think it’ll be a little bit easier to bat on in the second innings with the dew coming in, and that was the thought process behind bowling first.
“I think playing a bit of Vijay Hazare Trophy, everyone is coming after playing some matches, so everyone looks in good form. We’ve played a lot of cricket together, so you know, the environment is always nice and calm whenever we get together. We are going with six bowlers, with Washi, Jadeja and Kuldeep as the spinners, and Prasidh, Siraj, and Harshit the three pacers,” he said.
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