It's a story we've seen before, and one that always leaves a bittersweet taste. One man stands tall, playing an innings for the ages, while the rest of the team struggles to keep up. On Sunday, that man was Virat Kohli. He hit a spectacular century, his 54th in ODIs, but even his genius wasn't enough to prevent a series loss against a surprisingly tough New Zealand side.

Losing a series at home is always a tough pill to swallow. But losing to a team missing many of its star players? That stings even more. This defeat marks India's first home ODI series loss since 2019, and it's left fans with plenty of questions.

The King's Lonely Battle

When India came out to bat, the pressure was on. After losing the first two games, this was a must-win match to save face. And for a long time, it looked like Virat Kohli was going to single-handedly drag India to victory.

It was a classic Kohli innings. He didn't come out all guns blazing. Instead, he carefully built his innings, brick by brick. He weathered the early storm, picked the gaps, ran hard between the wickets, and slowly took control. The New Zealand bowlers were disciplined, but Kohli was a class apart.

As he reached his fifty, he started to open up, hitting some beautiful boundaries. His century, which came off 128 balls, was a masterclass in how to pace an ODI innings. He stood like a rock while wickets fell at the other end. It was a brilliant performance, but sadly, it was a lonely one.

Where Did It Go Wrong for Team India?

So, with Kohli firing on all cylinders, what went wrong? The problem was the lack of support. While Kohli was anchoring the innings, no other batsman could stick around and build a meaningful partnership with him.

The middle order, which has been a point of concern, failed to fire. Shreyas Iyer and the vice-captain KL Rahul were dismissed without making a significant impact. The responsibility fell on the youngsters, but the pressure of a series decider proved to be too much.

Despite a few late boundaries, India's final score felt at least 20-30 runs short of what they needed. Kohli had done his part, but cricket is a team game, and India's batting unit, apart from him, just didn't show up.

The Kiwi Counter-Attack

New Zealand came into the chase with a clear plan. They knew they had a gettable target and just needed one or two good partnerships. And that's exactly what they got.

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Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips put on a batting clinic. They were simply unstoppable. While the Indian bowlers tried everything, the two Kiwi batsmen had an answer for every question. They put together a massive 287-run partnership for the fourth wicket, completely taking the game away from India.

This partnership highlighted the main difference between the two teams in this series. While India struggled to build partnerships, New Zealand's batsmen consistently stood up when it mattered. The Indian bowling looked one-dimensional and ran out of ideas on how to break the stand.

A Troubling Trend or Just a Bad Day?

Losing a one-off game is one thing, but losing a whole series at home raises some red flags. What's most concerning is that this New Zealand team was considered "second-string," with many of their big names missing. Yet, they outplayed India in their own backyard.

Throughout the series, India seemed to repeat the same mistakes. The bowlers struggled to take wickets in the middle overs, and the batting was too reliant on a few individuals. New Zealand, on the other hand, played smart, disciplined cricket. They did the basics right, and in the end, that's what won them the series.

It’s a reality check for the Indian team. While individual brilliance is amazing to watch, it can't always win you trophies. This series loss is a reminder that teamwork, consistency, and executing a plan are what truly matters.

For the fans, it was a day of mixed emotions. We got to witness another incredible century from one of the greatest of all time, but we also had to watch our team lose the series. But that's cricket for you! Here's hoping the team learns from these mistakes and bounces back stronger.