India survived a late wobble and a Wellington downpour to beat New Zealand by four runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the second ODI on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Rain had already reduced the contest to 47 overs a side when Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl, and India’s bowlers made the call look inspired. New Zealand were bundled out for 134 in 41 overs — their lowest ODI total against India on home soil — on a two-paced surface that Daryl Mitchell later described as like batting on a trampoline.
Gurnoor Brar was the destroyer-in-chief with career-best figures of four for 30 from his 10 overs, including a double-wicket maiden that removed Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips in the same over. Auqib Nabi struck twice with the new ball, while Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each. Only Mitchell, with a gritty 55 from 104 balls, and captain Mitchell Santner, who made 31, offered prolonged resistance, the pair adding 59 for the sixth wicket. New Zealand lost their last three wickets for eight runs.
There was a worrying moment when Blair Tickner was struck on the helmet by a Kamboj bouncer and later replaced by concussion substitute Matthew Fisher.
The chase of 135 was anything but straightforward. Jacob Duffy removed Gill for a duck in the second over, and Virat Kohli — who had needed one run to pass Ricky Ponting’s record of 1,971 ODI runs against New Zealand — got there with a boundary off the second ball he faced, only to fall for seven the very next delivery after Nathan Smith had shelled a steepling chance off the previous ball. Kohli now has 1,978 runs against the Black Caps, the most by any batter, achieved in 38 innings to Ponting’s 50.
Rohit Sharma’s 23 and Shreyas Iyer’s 30 steadied India briefly, but Kyle Jamieson’s three for 35 left the visitors 47 for four, and when Naman Dhir and Kamboj fell in quick succession, India were 111 for seven with 22 still needed. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 26 from 38 balls, including two fours and two sixes, kept India ahead of the DLS par score of 109 when rain stopped play after 26 overs.
Play was briefly set to resume as a 37-over contest, with India needing 20 more, but the drizzle returned and the umpires called the match off at 15:35 IST, with the cut-off time reached. India were declared winners by four runs.
The series moves to Hamilton on Tuesday, with India two wins clear and Kohli 22 runs short of becoming the first batter to 2,000 ODI runs against New Zealand.
Related: Kohli One Run From Ponting’s Record as India Eye 2-0 Lead in Rain-Threatened Wellington ODI
Related: Kohli’s 74 Powers India to Five-Wicket DLS Win Over New Zealand in Rain-Hit Auckland Opener
