Matt Henry explains triple-wicket maiden that removed Rohit, Kohli and Iyer in Mount Maunganui

Matt Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer for ducks in the first over of the fourth ODI at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday, November 13, as New Zealand defended 334. Henry finished with figures of 9.4-2-27-6 and the Black Caps thrashed India by 244 runs.

Henry said the early burst owed more to a simple, accurate plan and the movement on offer than to any elaborate tactic, and that bowling with the breeze and targeting the stumps helped him exploit conditions and trouble India’s top order. The triple-wicket maiden left India reeling at the start of their chase and set the tone for New Zealand’s dominant victory.

"I think it helps when the ball moves like that, but you're just trying to bring the stumps into play. It's about keeping things simple. Bowling into the breeze probably simplified my plan even more," Henry said in the post-match press conference.

He added further detail on execution and how the movement affected the batters: "Ironically, you're probably not as attacking as you usually would be. Being simple and accurate out there proved effective. When the ball moves sharply like that, especially when it's the first ball for most of those batters, it's not easy," Henry added.

Henry cautioned against overstatement of the performance ahead of the forthcoming Test series, pointing to the strength of India's batting in the longer format. "Yeah, look, I'm not going to get too carried away. India have got a strong batting line-up, so you don't want to say anything stupid here," he said.

"But I think it's going to be a really good series, and it's something we're really looking forward to. We've obviously got one more game here. The ODIs are really important for us, and we want to try and level the series. Then we can move forward to the Tests, which is something we're looking forward to as a group as well," Henry added.

The series moves on with the fifth and final ODI scheduled for Sunday, November 15, before the Test series gets underway on November 19 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.