NZ succumbs as India wins series
INDIA again asserted its superiority over the Black Caps with its third comprehensive oneday international victory in a week, as the tourists won by seven wickets at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui yesterday, clinching the fivegame series.
India proved too powerful for a New Zealand team which entered the series high in confidence after dominating Sri Lanka.
Again New Zealand, which won the toss, failed to last its allotted 50 overs in scoring 243 all out.
After losing both openers cheaply — Martin Guptill for 13 and Colin Munro for 7 — it was left to perennial saviours Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to mount another rescue mission. Williamson started well, but became bogged down. He made an illjudged attempt to play his way out of trouble to a loose delivery by Yuzvendra Chahal and fell to a superb diving catch by Hardik Pandya, on 28.
The best New Zealand partnership of the series so far — 119 between Taylor and Tom Latham — proved a false dawn. The two had the Black Caps poised for a defendable score until Latham holed out on 51.
The tail folded through a combination of poor shots, bad judgement and good bowling. Taylor’s 93 was the highlight.
India seldom looked troubled in scoring the required runs.
A brief glimmer of hope was offered by Trent Boult when he snared Shihkar Dhawan for 28, well caught by Taylor. However, a rapidfire 113 stand between Rohit Sharma (62) and Virat Kohli (60) for the second wicket set India on the way to victory.
Mitchell Santner broke through to get Sharma, stumped by Latham, while Boult snared Indian captain Kohli thanks to a smart catch by Henry Nicholls.
The winning runs — a Lockie Ferguson bouncer which went for four wides — summed up New Zealand’s night.