‘Had there been a follow-on’: Sunil Gavaskar takes cheeky dig at India’s batting collapse in 4th ODI

New Zealand Crush India by 244 Runs as Sunil Gavaskar Jokes About a Follow-On

New Zealand kept the ODI series alive with a commanding 244-run victory over India at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The result cut India’s lead to 2-1, turning the remaining fixture into a decisive contest: India can seal the series, while New Zealand need another win to draw level after the earlier match was abandoned without a result.

The scale of the defeat was striking. India were dismissed for just 89, unable to cope with a New Zealand attack led by Matt Henry, who claimed six wickets for 27 runs. The collapse prompted former India captain Sunil Gavaskar to offer a light-hearted reaction on Sony Sports Network. He joked that a follow-on would have given spectators another chance to watch senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the crease.

Gavaskar’s Follow-On Joke After India’s Batting Collapse

Reflecting on New Zealand’s emphatic win, Gavaskar acknowledged the quality of the performance before making his tongue-in-cheek remark. “They have won by 244 runs. It’s a massive win,” he said, as quoted by Sportskeeda. “Had there been a follow-on, we would have got one more chance to watch Rohit and Virat. However, one more match is left.”

The joke referred to the pair’s brief appearances during India’s innings. Rohit was dismissed for a golden duck, while Kohli also failed to score, departing after facing four balls. Their early exits added to the pressure on an Indian batting order already struggling against movement and disciplined bowling.

Rohit’s dismissal was particularly painful because it marked his second duck of the series. It was also the second time in the contest that both Rohit and Kohli had been dismissed without scoring in the same match. While the figures make for difficult reading, the conditions and New Zealand’s execution were central to the story: India’s top order faced a moving ball from the outset, with little time to settle.

Matt Henry’s Six-Wicket Spell Sets the Tone

Gavaskar reserved special praise for Henry, whose spell of 6/27 dismantled India’s batting line-up. The New Zealand seamer found movement off the surface, maintained a testing line and length, and mixed in the occasional short ball to keep the batters uncertain. His performance earned him the Player of the Match award and gave the hosts control of the game.

Henry made an immediate impact in the first over of India’s innings, taking three wickets in a maiden. Rohit, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer all fell for ducks, leaving India with a steep challenge before the innings had properly begun. That opening burst was more than a dramatic start: it placed New Zealand firmly on the front foot and forced the rest of India’s order to bat under intense pressure.

“The bowling was exceptional, given the line and length Matt Henry bowled and the way he was moving the ball,” Gavaskar said. He also noted that Henry’s use of the bouncer made it difficult for batters to settle into a rhythm. The former opener added that India’s batters had not simply thrown their wickets away; they had been beaten by high-quality deliveries. As India batter Shreyas Iyer also acknowledged, sometimes a side has to accept that the opposition has produced the better ball.

Why Rohit Sharma Had Little Time to Adjust

Gavaskar also analysed the delivery that removed Rohit. Henry’s first ball moved away from the right-hander, squared him up and produced an edge that was taken sharply by Finn Allen at first slip. It was a difficult introduction for an opening batter, particularly with the new ball offering pronounced movement.

Gavaskar compared the shape of the delivery to the outswing Kapil Dev produced early in his career. He explained that a ball moving sharply away can leave even an experienced batter with limited options, especially before the opening overs have revealed how the pitch is behaving.

“Your footwork might have worked a little had it been the fifth or sixth ball,” Gavaskar observed, suggesting that a batter may have a better sense of the movement after facing a few deliveries. But he also stressed the challenge facing openers: when the ball swings substantially in the first one or two overs, there may be little opportunity to make an adjustment.

Series Prediction: India Still Have the Advantage, but New Zealand Have Momentum

India remain ahead in the ODI series at 2-1, so the final scheduled match gives them a clear opportunity to secure the series. New Zealand, however, have regained momentum with a comprehensive win and will take confidence from the way their bowlers exploited the conditions. With one match remaining after the no-result, the series can still finish as an Indian victory or a drawn contest if New Zealand level the score.

Any prediction for the decider will depend in part on how the teams respond to this result. India will want a more secure start, better protection against early movement and contributions from the middle order. New Zealand will look to repeat the disciplined approach that made scoring so difficult at Bay Oval. The key question is whether Henry and the other seamers can again find assistance from the surface—or whether India’s top order can adapt and build a substantial partnership.

The result also comes within a busy stretch of international cricket for both sides. India have already won the T20I series and remain in position to claim the ODI trophy, while a two-match Test series is scheduled after the fifth ODI. That upcoming red-ball contest adds further interest, but the immediate focus is on the final one-day match and whether New Zealand can complete a comeback in the series.

For India, the 244-run defeat is a sharp reminder of how quickly a match can turn when the new ball moves and wickets fall in clusters. For New Zealand, it was a statement performance built on accuracy, movement and pressure. Gavaskar’s follow-on quip brought some humour to a difficult day for Indian supporters, but the cricketing message was serious: India must find a way to handle Henry’s threat if they are to close out the series.