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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
'Pretty scary’: Blackcaps rookie in awe after ODI debut in India’s cauldron
Stephen Foote • January 13th, 2026 12:25 pm
Kristian Clarke | Photo: Photosport
In the moments leading up to his ODI debut against India, Blackcaps newcomer Kristian Clarke clung to one particularly telling tidbit of advice from his teammate Michael Bracewell.
"Your best ball is still good enough for them," Clarke recalls the morning after earning his first international cap in the four-wicket defeat in Vadodara overnight Sunday (NZ time).
The chaotic confines of Kotambi Stadium were in stark contrast to his humble hometown of Te Awamutu, but the 24-year-old managed to tune out the noise and put forth an encouraging display in his maiden international appearance.
While the Northern Districts seamer was predictably targeted by the ruthless Indian bats, Clarke managed to snare his first ODI wicket and play a highly valuable late hand with the bat, blasting an undefeated 24 runs off 17 balls to help New Zealand reach the all-important 300-run mark.
The performance reflected the undeniable potential Clarke has shown since he starred for New Zealand at the U19 World Cup back in 2020, progressing to become the Ford Trophy's leading wicket-taker last summer. He was called into the Blackcaps squad for the recent home summer series against England and the West Indies but couldn't crack a starting XI.
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Running in to the likes of Virat Kohli is intimidating for the most experienced of bowlers - no less a rookie - and Clarke admits there was more than a touch of the surreal to the occasion.
"Those boys are pretty bloody talented so it was a pretty scary moment," he confesses. " But it was just so cool to share the field with them and just experience it all.
"It was a pretty bloody cool day. I've had the night to think on it and sleep on it - not that I got a lot of sleep - but yeah, it was just a great experience.
"Playing the likes of Kohli and Rohit and all those boys, they're all unbelievable players, so to be in the same sort of field as them and match up against them was pretty surreal."
Clarke will be eager to build on his first-up effort in Wednesday's second match of the series in Rajkot, where they'll need to win to force a decider in Nagpur on Sunday.
"It's just focusing on what we can do best," Clarke said of how the team can lift.
"It's not going too deep into what they can do because if you focus on them you'll probably scare yourself out of the game. So, just nail what we can and go from there."
