KL Rahul’s valiant century goes in vain as New Zealand restore parity in ODI series

India went down fighting in Saurashtra as New Zealand secured a win in the second ODI to make it 1-1 in the series.

KL Rahul spearheaded the charge with the bat to propel India to a decent position but the Blackcaps were in excellent nick throughout their innings and that saw them cross the finish line without breaking much of a sweat.

Winning the toss, New Zealand opted to bowl first. Rohit Sharma (24) and Shubman Gill (56) got off to a fine start. The duo added 70 runs for the opening pair before Sharma fell to Kris Clarke. Virat Kohli (23) knitted together another stand of resistance with Gill but India went into a sudden slump as they lost three wickets in quick succession.

Gill, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (8) were back to the pavilion in no time as India started wobbling at 118/4. It is then that KL Rahul stepped out in the center to take command and almost single-handedly steered the Indian innings through treacherous waters.

Rahul stayed unbeaten for 112 from just 92 balls, hammering 11 fours and a six. He had support from Ravindra Jadeja (27) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (20). India made their way to a fighting total, putting on 284/7. With dew coming in, the task for the bowlers was going to be a lot more daunting.

India drew first blood early on, as Harshit Rana breached the defences of Devon Conway (16). Prasidh Krishna struck in short succession too as India claimed the scalp of Henry Nicholls (10). However, New Zealand soon found their foothold through the stand of Will Young (87) and Daryll Mitchell (131*).

The duo put together a strong stand of 162 runs as New Zealand almost cruised to the finish line. Mitchell stayed unbeaten while an incoming Glenn Phillips played the perfect partner with an unbeaten knock of 32 from just 25 balls. New Zealand secured a seven-wicket-win, levelling the series 1-1. India return to action on Sunday for the series decider.