New Zealand pacer Kristian Clarke turned heads in his second ODI outing against India at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot by dismissing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer within two spells.
Featuring in only his second appearance for the Kiwis on Wednesday, the 24-year-old stopped India’s batting heavyweights on a flat pitch, forcing the hosts into a spot of bother after being sent into bat by New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell.
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Clarke first dismissed Rohit with a slower delivery that the senior India opener miscued to the deep point fielder. In his second spell, the right-arm seamer dismissed India vice-captain Iyer, who chipped the ball back to the mid-off fielder. Clarke then dismissed the in-form Kohli, snapping his five-match fifty-scoring streak, with a delivery outside the off-stump. Attempting to glide the ball down to third man, Kohli could only manage an inside-edge back to the stumps, falling on 23.
Kristian Clarke chats ahead of his first India Tour 🤩#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/hgVsdyq0JS
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 10, 2026
Clarke by then had recorded figures of 6-0-37-3.
Who is Kristian Clarke?
A product of the Waikato region, south of Auckland, Clarke first broke through at the age of 16. Representing Northern Districts in the U19 National Championship, Clarke would however manage just four wickets at an average of 35-plus.
During the 2018–19 season, Clarke rose to prominence as a top performer for Hamilton Boys’ High School in the Gillette Cup. Following a 12-wicket haul at the U19 National Championship, he broke into the New Zealand U19 national side in July 2019. Clarke was a member of the 2020 Under-19 World Cup squad which also comprised senior New Zealand players, Adithya Ashok, Will O’Rourke and Rhys Mariu. He racked up seven wickets in four games, averaging 14.
Clarke made his first-class debut for Northern Districts against Wellington in March 2022, followed by his List A and T20 debuts later that year. To date, he has secured 79 first-class wickets and 56 List A wickets across 36 matches. A standout performer in the 2023–24 Ford Trophy, he finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker. Interestingly, Clarke has also turned up handy with the bat, having scored a century from No. 7 (an unbeaten 100) against Central Districts in October 2025.
He had a forgettable ODI debut in Vadodara last week, conceding 1/73 in 10 overs as India secured a four-wicket win. Clarke would, however, chip in with an unbeaten 24 that helped the Kiwis post a 301-run target for the hosts.
