India’s seam bowlers thrived in helpful conditions for a second straight one-day international as they beat New Zealand by four runs on Saturday to take a 2-0 series lead.
New Zealand were unable to defend their total of 134, with wet conditions in Wellington having reduced game two to a maximum 47 overs each and made batting conditions treacherous.
India were 113-7 off 26 overs when rain ended play, four runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score of 109.
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KL Rahul was at the crease on 26 and Auqib Nabi on one, with the pair having done just enough to put the tourists in front.
They require one more win to wrap up the five-match series, heading into game three in Hamilton on Tuesday.
India won the rain-hit opener in Auckland by five wickets on Wednesday when the home side were skittled for 185.
Gurnoor Brar took career-best ODI figures of 4-30 to be named player of the match.
It followed his three-wicket haul in Auckland and he said the conditions in both matches had played into his hands.
“Bowling here in New Zealand, for me, the bounce and the pace really helps, I’m really enjoying it,” Brar said. “In India, the pitches are a bit flat. Here, that extra bounce is there. I was just bowling to my strengths and it worked.”
India were never comfortable in their chase, rocked onto the back foot when New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy (3-35) dismissed Indian captain Shubman Gill for a golden duck and Virat Kohli for seven.
Paceman Kyle Jamieson (3-35) made a key breakthrough by removing top-scorer Shreyas Iyer for 30, leaving India teetering at 86-5. New Zealand were all out in 41 overs, led by a watchful 55 from Daryl Mitchell and 31 from captain Mitchell Santner.
No other home batsman scored more than 11, many of them undone by unpredictable bounce and tight Indian seam bowling.
Brar made a key double-strike in the 20th over when he removed Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips cheaply to leave New Zealand 53-5.
Nabi earlier claimed his first two international wickets, taking openers Will Young and Tim Seifert to finish with 2-31. Santner said he was impressed by India’s attack.
“They bowled really well, especially at the top,” he said. “Obviously losing wickets at the start is never ideal and, with the weather around it was always going to be tough at the start and they exploited it well.”
Source: Khaleej Times