The rain swept in right on time. At 113 for 7, India were wobbling violently in Wellington, still 22 runs short of their target and hemmed in by a relentless Kiwi seam attack. Yet the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern math held firm. By a razor-thin margin of four runs, India walked away with a nerve-shredding victory on Saturday, seizing a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.
Earlier, Indiaâs fast bowlers turned Wellington into a house of horrors for the hosts. Rain had already lopped three overs off the contest, trimming it to 47 overs a side, but New Zealand barely managed to survive 41. They were skittled for 134. Gurnoor Brar delivered the decisive blow, tearing through the batting order with figures of 4 for 30. His standout moment came in the form of a lethal double-wicket maidenâdispatching captain Tom Latham and the dangerous Glenn Phillips to snap New Zealand's spine at 53 for 3.
Auqib Nabi supplied the initial fire. The young seamer prised out Tim Seifert for his maiden international scalp before removing Will Young. Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel claimed two wickets apiece to choke off any late resurgence. Only Daryl Mitchell stood firm amid the wreckage, grinding out 55 from 104 balls after Shubman Gill dropped a routine chance at cover when Mitchell was on 21. Mitchell paired with Mitchell Santnerâwho chipped in with a brisk 31 off 38 deliveriesâto patch together 59 runs for the sixth wicket, but the resistance crumbled the instant the partnership was broken.
Defending a modest 134, New Zealand hit back with raw venom. Jacob Duffy struck with his very first delivery, silencing the dugout by sending Gill back for a golden duck. He followed it up in his next over by removing Virat Kohli, leaving India in immediate disarray. Kyle Jamieson then tightened the vice, extracting sharp bounce to hollow out the middle order and leave India gasping at 47 for 4 despite Rohit Sharmaâs attempts to push back.
Shreyas Iyer absorbed the pressure, grafting a gritty 30 off 46 deliveries to drag the innings back from total disaster. But it was KL Rahul who proved the difference between victory and catastrophe. Rahul dug in for an unbeaten 26 from 38 balls, lacing two boundaries and two towering sixes to nudge India ahead of the required DLS par score just as dark clouds broke over the ground.
New Zealand now head to Hamilton with their backs to the wall, needing an immediate turnaround in the third ODI to stop India from running away with the series.