Henry’s Opening Over from Hell

A penny for his thoughts: what must have gone through the mind of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the constant non-striker in one of the most brutal opening overs ever bowled in all of international cricket? “Thank goodness I’m not on strike”, or, “What on earth is happening here?”

Either way, Gaikwad and some 10,000 spectators at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui – most of them Indians – witnessed perhaps the most devastating first over of an innings in the history of ODI cricket, what with New Zealand’s Matt Henry causing utter wreckage by dismissing opener Rohit Sharma, best bat Virat Kohli and captain Shreyas Iyer in the space of six balls, all for zero.

The first to go was the first to face a ball, Sharma. The back of a length delivery jumped big and seamed away, squaring Rohit up while also clipping the outside edge of his thick blade. The catch was beautifully taken in the slip cordon by Finn Allen. Sharma stared at the pitch, then his bat, pursed his lips and made the long walk to the dressing room just seconds after having made the journey the other way.

There was the expected hush at Rohit’s dismissal, immediately followed by the wash of glee as the king of ODI chases arrived. Enter Virat Kohli.

The first ball to him too was near perfect from Henry, outside off stump and holding its line. All Kohli could do was waft at it, and miss. Next ball, he found the bat, but only to the fielder at midwicket. After having bowled two balls that seamed away from the batter, Henry summoned the nip-backer into Kohli from a good length. When it kept low on pitching, the ball rushed in through the gate and crashed into the off stump.

Exit Virat Kohli.

Kohli stared at the pitch as well, before captain Shreyas Iyer made his way in in pin-drop silence. It is hard to know how many shell-shocked fans actually witnessed Henry pinning him LBW very first ball, but there was a roar of relief when umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave Iyer not out, claiming height was an issue.

It wasn't. Henry reviewed, the red projection was seen knocking plush into leg stump and the first over from hell was finally in the bag – wicket, dot, dot, dot, wicket, wicket. Or, India 0/3 after 1 over.

All this first over carnage, of course, ensured that New Zealand won the fourth ODI in Tauranga in a tearing hurry, with India bowled out for 89, losing the match by 244 runs.

“Henry was hitting the right areas, right from ball one, that was sensational,” was all Iyer could muster up in the presentation ceremony.

Henry cut a far happier figure at winning the Man of the Match of course, having finished with 6/27 – the last achieved in his 10^th and final over. But it was the opening three of those six that will forever be immortalised, the most brutal first over perhaps ever bowled with the white ball.