At the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, India had a disastrous day as they were bundled out for just 89 in 26.4 overs while chasing 335, thus losing the game by a massive 244 runs.
Matt Henry ripped through the batting lineup with a 6-wicket haul. This defeat was India's second biggest in ODI cricket history. At the post-match press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir suggested that the implications of this defeat could stretch beyond this one result right into next year's ODI World Cup.
Gambhir pointed out the similarities between the conditions of New Zealand and South Africa, where the World Cup is set to take place, admitting that the batting unit's inability to cope with the new-ball movement was a genuine concern.
"You're always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd runs. Why wouldn't I be concerned? I think I will be concerned because, obviously, these are conditions which are going to be closest to what we might get during the World Cup," Gambhir said after the match.
{{/usCountry}}"You're always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd runs. Why wouldn't I be concerned? I think I will be concerned because, obviously, these are conditions which are going to be closest to what we might get during the World Cup," Gambhir said after the match.
{{/usCountry}}"When you play in India, obviously, you all know that there is hardly anything for the bowlers. But when you come into these conditions, you know that there is actually a good contest between bat and ball. This is probably the closest," he added.
Gambhir's concern was not restricted to the latest collapse. He also pointed out how India struggled in the 3rd ODI, where India stumbled to 111/7 chasing a modest target of 135.
"There is no point putting it under the carpet. This issue wasn't just in this match; in the previous match, chasing 135, we were seven down for 111, which is also a concern. For me, I think the bigger concern is not the runs. It's how quickly we got bundled out, around 26 or 27 overs. That is something which is always a concern. Hopefully, we can try and rectify that as soon as possible," he added.
‘No unplayable deliveries’
Gautam Gambhir refused to accept the argument that New Zealand's conditions or Henry's bowling made the collapse inevitable. Instead, he insisted that India's batters need to find ways to counter different types of deliveries.
"First of all, there are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket. We should be able to cope with any kind of delivery. We knew the conditions in New Zealand would seam with the new ball, and we found that kind of help when we were bowling as well," he said.ALSO READ: Will Young's ton, Matt Henry six-for sink India in fourth ODI
'Guys will turn up'
With India needing a victory in the final game to win the series, Gautam Gambhir wanted his players to take the defeat personally and use it as motivation to respond.
"I'm sure the guys will turn up, and it's important that they are hurting in the dressing room right now. If you're not hurting after this kind of performance, there's a problem," he said.