New Zealand clinch massive win against India to reduce deficit in ODI series

Things went downhill for India as New Zealand took them apart in Tauranga, reducing the deficit to 2-1. In a lopsided battle, New Zealand went all in and the Men in Blue were unable to come to terms with the tricky surface at Bay Oval, losing by a massive margin of 244 runs.

Winning the toss, India’s stand-in captain, Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl first. New Zealand got off to a rollicking start, courtesy of Will Young and Tim Seifert. Seifert hammered 58 off just 48 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, and knitted together a strong opening stand of 85 runs. India pulled things back, claiming three wickets in quick succession.

Gurnoor Brar removed Seifert followed by Axar Patel getting the better of Nick Kelly (4). Auqib Nabi doubled down the charge for the Men in Blue as he saw the back of Dean Foxcroft (8), reducing New Zealand to 125/3. However, the Blackcaps found a solid stand of resistance through an incoming Finn Allen who joined forces with Will Young and pushed back the Indian invasion.

Young and Allen added 90 runs before Axar Patel dismissed the latter, breaking the partnership. India finally removed New Zealand's key architect of destruction, Young for a sensational 125 off just 108 balls. Naman Dhir claimed the crucial wicket of Young, setting up India’s finish.

New Zealand managed to hold on and knit together fragments of dominance, propelling themselves to 333 by the time India bundled them out. Mitchell Santner (24), Kristian Clarke (22) and Kyle Jamieson (19) played crucial cameos towards the end to get New Zealand into a dominant territory. Axar Patel was the pick of the bowling lot with figures of 2/39 while Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi claimed two wickets each.

To India's shock, their top-order crumbled like a house of cards in front of a formidable Kiwi bowling unit. Rohit Sharma (0), Ruturaj Gaikwad (5), Virat Kohli (0) and Shreyas Iyer (0) were back to the pavilion even before India could get going. Wobbling at 9/4 while chasing 334, India resorted to survival.

Ishan Kishan (27), Axar Patel (21) and Naman Dhir (21) were the only ones for the Men in Blue to score in double digits as the rest of the batting order was simply razed. India got bowled out for 89, handing New Zealand a massive win to halve the deficit. India return to action on Sunday (15th November) where they battle it out to seize the series against a hungry New Zealand.