On a day Anirudh Thapa captained India for the first time in six years and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith made his first national team appearance since a forgettable outing last June, it was the defence that needed a closer look.In the absence of the reliable Anwar Ali, India coach Khalid Jamil was forced to pair Bijoy Varghese with Pramveer at centre-back, while Abhishek Singh started on the right. Collectively, the three India defenders have 20 appearances between them, never enough to stop New Zealand.The All Whites, playing in all black, dominated from start to finish to carve a 5-0 win in the first international friendly at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday.The hosts, who featured at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and are ranked 50 places above India, didn’t even have to move into third gear. Pramveer’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Bijoy and into the net for New Zealand’s opening goal early in the game, Jesse Randall then capitalised on India’s defensive frailties to score twice and give the hosts a 3-0 advantage at half-time.When New Zealand’s Premier League star Chris Wood made it 4-0 with a strong header, two India defenders were on the floor. The fifth came through an unmarked Lachlan Bayliss, who struck a clean volley from inside the box.In the second half, Jamil made five changes, handing debuts to two and replacing all three inexperienced players in defence. Nothing changed. Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith was the busiest, making several saves, including one from a Bill Tuiloma penalty that prevented the scoreline from turning into a bigger embarrassment.The 5-0 defeat was India’s third big one in a row after home losses against Brazil (0-4) and Uruguay (1-6). The only creditable result was a draw against Panama.For New Zealand, this was their biggest winning margin over non-Oceania opposition since the 1980s, including a 6-1 win over Malaysia in 1984 and 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in 1981.Most eyes were on Wood, New Zealand’s forward who dons colours for Nottingham Forest, but it was another Europe-based player, Randall, who stole the show with a first-half brace. The Dundee United winger made life difficult for his markers with his pace and movement. Had it not been for Kaith’s saves, including a one-on-one, he would have had an easy hat-trick at the ground where he won an A-League title with Auckland FC.India had little to offer in attack with Liston Colaco’s two attempts from distance and Tomba Singh’s effort late hardly troubling goalkeeper Alex Paulsen.India face All Whites next on Sunday in what will be the first-ever international football match at One New Zealand Stadium in Otautahi Christchurch.
