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Ranchi: India had the chance to clinch the series in Ranchi against New Zealand after a heroic performance in Mohali the last time around.
However, things didn’t go as planned with the hosts collapsing in the middle part of the 260 run chase.
From 128/2 in the 27th over, India were reduced to 167/7 by the 36th over losing Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya in the process.
Eventually, India were bowled out for 241 to lose by 19 runs.
With the top order failing to get the job done, it had set up into a perfect chance for Jadhav and Pandey to get the team over the line but they couldn’t rise to the occasion.
With the team staring at defeat, Amit Mishra (14) and Axar Patel (38) put together 38 runs for the eighth wicket to give India some vital runs late on. But this partnership came to a close when a mix-up for a second run brought curtains on Mishra’s stay in the middle.
Axar played the ball down the leg side and almost came for the second before changing his mind. But by then Mishra was halfway down the pitch and that allowed plenty of time for Mitchell Santner to throw the ball and BJ Watling to remove the bails.
In the same over, Axar’s fighting knock came to an end after he was bowled by Trent Boult with a fuller delivery that ricoched off the pad on the off stump.
Umesh Yadav and Dhawal Kulkarni also provided a fight with 34 runs for the final wicket with the latter hitting some meaty blows – two fours and a six – to give India slender hope.
But with the ask getting bigger, Umesh was holed down with eight balls to go off Boult and gave New Zealand the win.
Earlier Martin Guptill (72) top scored for New Zealand from the opening slot and put together 96 for the first wicket with Tom Latham. Later Kane Williamson (41) and Ross Taylor (35) were also amongst the runs to do the early damage.
The final match of the series will be played on Saturday, October 30, at Vishakhapatnam.
Brief scores
New Zealand - 260 for 7 (Guptill 72, Williamson 41, Mishra 2-41)
India - 241 (Rahane 57, Southee 3-40, Neesham 2-38)
Result - New Zealand won by 19 runs
