(Photo Courtesy: BCCI)
New Zealand were bowled out for 217 after India managed to put up 252, recovering from 18/4 at one stage.
Team India closed the ODI series on a high as they went on to beat the hosts by 35 runs and take the series 4-1.
The bowling attack of India shined collectively as they defended a modest total of 252 to claim the victory. Yuzvendra Chahal got 3 while the pair of Mohammad Shami and Hardik Pandya got 2 apiece.
Chasing a target of 253 for victory, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and never built a solid partnership that could guide them home.
Munro, who had replaced Guptill had his intentions clear as got off to a blazing start. But his innings was short lived as he fell for 24.
The ever dependable Ross Taylor did not trouble the scorers as he fell for 1 after being trapped plum in front. Then the pair of Williamson and Latham begun to do the repair work.
Eventually, with his score at 39 off 72, Williamson had a go at a long hop from Jadhav, but the ball came so slowly to him he struggled to get power into the shot and was caught at deep midwicket. This ended a 67-run partnership; at 105 for 4, New Zealand needed something special to get home.
Latham along with Neesham threatened for a bit but Chahal then came on to remove both Latham and de Grandhomme in successive overs to take an upper hand in the game.
New Zealand contributed to their own demise when Jadhav went into a big lbw appeal against Neesham, who was hit clearly outside the line of off. Neesham, who was connecting well in 44 off 31 until then, left the crease when the ball had hardly gone out of Dhoni’s reach. Dhoni then collected it and knocked the stumps off to send Neesham packing back to the pavilion.
Earlier, India decided to test themselves in the most difficult conditions as they elected to have a bat first.
Continuing with the same trend of previous game, their top order fell without troubling the scorers. Dhoni, who replaced Karthik in the side too fell for 1 to leave India reeling at 18/4.
At this moment the pair of Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar knew that they had a golden opportunity to prove themselves at this stage. They did just that putting in a 98 run stand to rescue India from another embarrassment.
Shankar looked the best equipped of the Indian batsmen to negotiate the tough conditions. He let the ball move, played it late, and went about picking up risk-free singles.
Rayudu in the early stage of the partnership didn’t do much of the scoring and let it all to Shankar. Rayudu was 44 off 81 when Shankar was run out in the 32nd over, but he now capitalised on some hard work done. New Zealand had to bowl some of the lesser bowlers to keep Boult and Henry for the end, and he cashed in, hitting de Grandhomme and Colin Munro to take 46 off the last 31 balls he faced.
After Rayudu missed out on what would have been the first century of the series, Pandya walked in to change the complexion of the game. From where many thought India would do well to cross 200, Pandya played a brilliant knock scoring 45 in just 22 balls to power the visitors over 250.
Pandya first ruined Todd Astle’s figures after he had done a stupendous job bowling at the death. Before Pandya hit a hat-trick of sixes – the fifth time in his international career – Astle had bowled cleverly and conceded just 17 in 4.1 overs. Pandya, though, unleashed mayhem, hitting five sixes and two fours in all to give India the big finish.
India 252 (Rayudu 90, Pandya 45, Shankar 45, Henry 4-35, Boult 3-39) beat New Zealand 217 (Neesham 44, Chahal 3-41) by 35 runs
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