After a whitewash in the T20I series, New Zealand now has a One-Day International series win under its belt. It defeated India by 22 runs here to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 274 in 50 overs, India folded up for 251 in the penultimate over, paying the price for poor shot selection.
New Zealand ensured the win — the third in a row in the format for the side over India — despite the unavailability of its key personnel in captain Kane Williamson and bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. Debutant Kyle Jamieson shone with bat and ball — a spell of 2 for 42 and an innings of 25 (24b) — to be adjudged the Player of the Match.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The winning margin would have been bigger had Ravindra Jadeja (55, 73b) and Navdeep Saini (45, 49b) not offered their resistance. Their partnership of 76 runs allowed India a glimmer of hope and took it close.
“I’m impressed with how we finished. We let things slip away from 197 for 8 to 270-plus in the first half but came back strongly with the second half of our batting. We were in trouble with the bat, but Saini and Jadeja played really well, as did Shreyas [Iyer],” India captain Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation.
India had a shaky start in the chase, losing its openers — Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw — early. Despite running a temperature, Kiwi seamer Tim Southee was effective with the new ball; his incutter ended Kohli’s innings early. Poor shot selection from Iyer (52, 57b) and Kedar Jadhav (9, 27b) didn’t help India’s cause; their departure in the middle overs gave the host the decisive edge.
NZ v IND, SECOND ODI | AS IT HAPPENED
For New Zealand, the in-form Ross Taylor produced a rearguard effort, scoring an unbeaten half-century to rescue New Zealand and help it post 273 for 8. Taylor scored an unbeaten 73 (74b, 6x4, 2x6); it was his 51st half-century. His 76-run partnership with Jamieson for the ninth wicket was valuable.
Earlier, opener Martin Guptill smashed a run-a-ball 79 (8x4, 3x6) to hand the Black Caps a good start, but later, the side would lose seven wickets for 55 runs.
Guptill put on 93 runs with fellow opener Henry Nicholls (41, 59b, 5x4). The breakthrough for India came in the 17th over when leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Nicholls leg-before-wicket. Shardul Thakur (2 for 60) got rid of Tom Blundell and then came the turning moment. Guptill set off for a suicidal run and was duly caught short of his crease by Thakur’s throw. The Kiwis were suddenly down to 157 for 3 and India made good use of the opening.
Ravindra Jadeja got into the action, first dismissing Tom Latham and then running out Jimmy Neesham. Colin de Grandhomme was caught in the deep off Thakur, and Chahal returned to gleefully accept a return catch from Mark Chapman.
New Zealand was in danger of folding for a sub-200 total when Tim Southee was caught off Chahal, too. The leg-spinner finished with 3 for 58. Taylor scored his half-century off 61 balls, while Jamieson threw his bat around to smack a four and two sixes to bring up their 50-partnership off 35 balls.
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