'One of the more comprehensive defeats for the Indian side' - Will Young eyes series-levelling win

New Zealand produced an explosive performance in the fourth ODI to keep their series hopes alive against India. The visitors posted 333 runs in their innings before restricting India to 89 in reply, a result that left the five-match series finely balanced at 2-1 in India's favour heading into the decider.

Will Young played a key role in New Zealand's commanding display, scoring a century as the hosts built a competitive total on a pitch that behaved differently from the earlier venues in Auckland and Wellington. The performance came after Young survived two chances off consecutive deliveries from Auqib Nabi in the second over, a moment that tested his composure early in the innings.

Young's early escape from Nabi's bowling proved crucial to his eventual century. The New Zealand batter acknowledged the fortunate moments that came his way during the innings.

"The first time, I was quite frustrated with myself because it was a similar way to how I got out in the second ODI. But when it happened again on the very next ball, I just had to laugh it off, and that's exactly what I did," Young said as quoted by NDTV Sports.

New Zealand's approach to building their total centred on adapting to the conditions and the opposition's bowling attack. Young explained how the hosts constructed their innings methodically despite early pressure from India's attack.

"Our whole style of cricket in the one-day format is built around adapting to what's in front of you. I managed to do that at the start of our innings. Obviously, we had a bit of luck go our way as well, but we built a nice platform," Young said.

What was New Zealand's approach to building their total?

The pitch conditions at the fourth ODI venue played a significant role in shaping the match outcome. Young noted that New Zealand identified the surface as more conducive to batting than the earlier grounds used in the series.

"We identified that the wicket was slightly better than the ones used in the first two ODIs in Auckland and Wellington and posted what we felt was a competitive total," Young said.

How did pitch conditions influence the match outcome?

Matt Henry's exceptional bowling performance proved decisive in India's collapse, with the fast bowler taking six wickets as the visitors were restricted to 89. Young highlighted how the twilight conditions and the pitch characteristics combined to assist New Zealand's bowlers.

"The white ball behaves a little like the pink ball during the twilight period. It gained a little extra pace off the wicket, and when Henry hit that length and got the ball to nip around, it did so quite quickly," Young said.

With the series now level at 2-1, New Zealand faced the fifth and final ODI with genuine momentum and belief. Young expressed confidence in his team's chances of levelling the series against a strong Indian side.

"There will be a couple of adjustments, but it's certainly a great carrot dangling in front of us to level the series against a really strong Indian side," Young said.