The India batter handed over his Game Changer award smartphone after helping his side survive a difficult chase against the Black Caps.
The India batter handed over his Game Changer award smartphone after helping his side survive a difficult chase against the Black Caps.
By Webfit News | 9 November 2026
WELLINGTON: KL Rahul finished India’s second ODI against New Zealand with an unbeaten innings and a smartphone prize. The phone went home with someone working at the stadium.
After Saturday’s rain-affected match at Hnry Stadium, the India wicketkeeper-batter gave his Game Changer of the Match smartphone to a female venue staff member.
The unexpected gift left her visibly surprised.
“I wasn’t expecting it, that’s for sure,” she said in a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
It was a warm moment after a match in which neither side had much opportunity to relax.
An innings that mattered more than its size
Rahul remained unbeaten on 26 from 38 deliveries as India reached 113–7 after 26 overs, chasing New Zealand’s 134.
Rain prevented the chase from continuing. India were four runs ahead under the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern calculation and took a 2–0 lead in the five-match series.
A target of 135 had offered the prospect of a straightforward evening. New Zealand’s bowlers made it anything but.
India slipped to 47–4 before Rahul and Shreyas Iyer helped rebuild. Further wickets kept the Black Caps in contention, with Rahul still at the crease when the weather ended play.
His contribution was modest in runs but important in the circumstances. India had overs available; surviving the difficult surface was the greater challenge.
Two awards, two different contributions
Rahul’s Game Changer prize was separate from the Player of the Match award, which went to Gurnoor Brar.
Brar’s 4–30 helped dismiss New Zealand in 41 overs, giving India the opportunity to take control before their own batting difficulties brought the contest back into balance.
Rahul then turned his individual reward into an unexpected gift for a member of the venue’s staff.
Hamilton next
The teams meet again in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November, with India one victory away from securing the series.
New Zealand’s bowling fightback in Wellington showed that the visitors remain vulnerable, even when chasing a small total.
For Rahul, the evening produced two different contributions: an unbeaten innings that helped preserve India’s advantage, and a post-match gesture that gave one stadium worker something personal to remember.
Was this article useful?
