Wellington: India secured a dramatic four-run victory over New Zealand via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the second ODI at Wellington on Saturday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
India’s bowlers produced another impressive display after the visitors elected to field, dismissing New Zealand for 134 in 41 overs in a contest reduced to 47 overs per side because of rain.
Gurnoor Brar was the standout performer with the ball, claiming a career-best 4/30 in his 10 overs. Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each as India’s pace attack repeatedly troubled the New Zealand batters.
New Zealand lost their opening two wickets cheaply, with Nabi removing Tim Seifert for a duck and Will Young for six. Kamboj then dismissed Henry Nicholls for 11 before Brar struck twice in quick succession to remove Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips.
Daryl Mitchell provided the hosts’ main resistance, scoring 55 off 104 balls, while captain Mitchell Santner contributed 31 from 38 deliveries. The pair added 59 runs for the sixth wicket before India’s bowlers wrapped up the innings.
Chasing 135, India were in trouble early as captain Shubman Gill was dismissed for a golden duck by Jacob Duffy. Virat Kohli followed for seven, while Rohit Sharma made 17 before the visitors slipped to 40/4.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul then steadied the innings with a 46-run partnership. Iyer scored 30 off 46 balls before being dismissed, while Rahul remained unbeaten on 26 as wickets continued to fall around him.
India reached 113/7 after 26 overs when rain again interrupted play. With the revised DLS target leaving India four runs ahead of the required score, the match was awarded to the visitors.
The victory gives India a 2-0 lead in the series after they won the rain-affected opening ODI by five wickets. The third ODI will be played in Hamilton on Tuesday.
Brar was named Player of the Match for his decisive spell, while India’s bowling unit once again proved crucial in securing victory despite a shaky batting performance.
