India fast bowler Gurnoor Brar has revealed what happened during his entertaining exchange with New Zealand's Blair Tickner in the first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland. The two players were involved in a playful battle during the closing stages of the Kiwi innings, which ended with Brar dismissing the No. 11 batter.

Tickner had already made an impact with the bat, striking four sixes in a quick cameo. He tried to provoke Brar into bowling a fuller delivery, but the Indian pacer stuck to his plan and eventually had the New Zealand batter caught behind. Brar later explained the conversation during a post-match interaction with Ajinkya Rahane.

Blair Tickner stunned India with terrific batting in 1st ODI

New Zealand were bowled out for 185 in 40.2 overs after being asked to bat first. Their lower order offered some resistance, with Tickner producing one of the most entertaining contributions of the innings. The right-hander scored 34 runs from just 23 balls, hitting one four and four sixes at a strike rate of 147.82.

His effort was particularly notable because he came in at No. 11. Tickner's four sixes placed him among a small group of batters to achieve that number of maximums from the final batting position in an ODI innings. Mohammad Amir had struck four sixes against England in 2016, while Naseem Shah also hit four against New Zealand in 2025. Tickner became the third player on that list with his effort against India in 2026.

There is another notable detail to his achievement. Only twice in ODI history has a No. 11 batter hit more than two sixes in an innings against India. New Zealand's Shane Bond struck three sixes in Auckland in 2003, and Tickner went one better at the same venue in 2026, clearing the boundary four times.

Gurnoor Brar shares what really happened during hilarious exchange with Blair Tickner

The exchange took place when Tickner attempted to pull a short delivery from Gurnoor Brar but could not connect properly. The Indian pacer then gestured towards the batter, seemingly showing him how to execute the shot. Tickner responded by pointing towards his stumps and challenging Brar to bowl at them.

The New Zealand batter was looking for a fuller delivery that he could attack down the track. Gurnoor Brar, however, continued with his short-ball approach and eventually dismissed Tickner, who edged the delivery behind to wicketkeeper KL Rahul.

Speaking to Ajinkya Rahane after the match, Gurnoor Brar shared the conversation and explained why he refused to change his plan. He said:

"Woh baar baar bol raha tha ki stumps ko hit kariye (He was repeatedly telling me to hit the stumps)," Brar said. "He obviously wanted a full-length ball so that he could hit me for a six down the ground. But I told him, 'If you have come here to do shadow batting, go and do it in the dressing room, not here.' Then he kept repeating to hit the stumps. I told him, 'No, I will get you out from right here,' and that was that."

Gurnoor Brar bags brilliant 3-wicket haul as India clinch victory

Brar finished with three wickets for 44 runs from 9.2 overs, playing an important role in restricting New Zealand to 185. Besides Tickner, he dismissed Tim Seifert and Tom Latham, with the latter falling to a caught-and-bowled effort. Arshdeep Singh led India's attack with four wickets, while Anshul Kamboj picked up two.

India's chase was interrupted by rain, and the target was revised to 143 in 32 overs under the DLS method. Virat Kohli top-scored with 74 off 51 balls, while Shubman Gill contributed 37. India reached 143/5 in 22.4 overs and won by five wickets, with 56 balls remaining.

Anshul Kamboj's performance earned him the Player of the Match award as India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.