… tourists manage just 92

INDIA suffer ODI cricket’s biggest-ever loss in terms of balls remaining after being skittled out for just 92 in the fourth ODI in Hamilton.

India have created a slice of unwanted history after they slumped to a record defeat in the fourth ODI against New Zealand in Hamilton.

India were bowled out for their seventh-lowest ODI total in history as Kiwi swing-king Trent Boult ripped through them in the fourth match of a five-match series in Hamilton.

Without skipper Virat Kohli (rested) and veteran gloveman MS Dhoni (injured), India were dismissed for just 92 in less than 31 overs.

The Black Caps, led by a quick-fire 37 not out from Ross Taylor and 30 not out from Henry Nicholls then romped to the victory target in just 14.4 overs.

The 212 balls remaining un-bowled by India was a new high mark for balls remaining in an ODI defeat. It eclipsed the previous mark of 209 balls remaining set by Sri Lanka in Dambulla in 2010.

Opener Martin Guptill had set the tone from the first ball of New Zealand’s run chase when he smashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar over deep mid-wicket for six runs, before carving the next two deliveries for boundaries, before being dismissed off the fourth ball.

Boult bowled unchanged after the Black Caps elected to bowl first and finished with figures of 5-21 from his 10 overs, including four maidens.

After India’s openers had moved the score to 0-21 without loss, Boult removed both Shikhar Dhawan and stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma in the space of two overs before a devastating period of play that broke the game wide open.

From a score of 2-33, India lost three wickets for no runs in 11 balls, as Boult and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme did the damage.

de Grandhomme removed Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik in the space of four deliveries, both without scoring, before Boult dismissed debutant Shubman Gill in the following over.

A score of 5-33 quickly became 6-35 and then 7-40 before some late hitting from the tail pushed India above their record ODI low of 54, scored against Sri Lanka in 2000.

With his teammates falling around him, Hardik Pandya clubbed four boundaries before he became Boult’s fifth wicket while tail-enders Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal also reached double figures to ensure a record low score was avoided.

India lead the five-match series 3-1.