India’s dominance over New Zealand in ODIs reached new heights on Saturday after the Men in Blue beat the Kiwis by four runs via Duckworth Lewis-Method (DLS) at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington in the second game of the five-match series to take a 2-0 lead.
In a match dominated by rain, New Zealand were all out for 134 after being set to bat.
In reply, India struggled to get to 113.7 in 26 overs before rain stopped play. The game was eventually called off. India were four runs ahead in the DLS par score. KL Rahul was batting at 26 when the match was stopped. Shreyas Iyer top scored for India with 30 runs.
In the process, India recorded their 11th win over New Zealand in 2026, going past Ricky Ponting’s mighty Australia, who had recorded 10 wins in 2005 against the Blackcaps. Notably, India took 16 matches to get 11 wins against New Zealand in this year, Australia’s 10 came off 12 games.
England are third in the list, who had defeated New Zealand nine time in 2008 in the 50-over format. The two consecutive defeats so far in this series is also New Zealand first against India since 2019 at home. New Zealand’s last bilateral ODI series defeat against India also came in 2019 at home. New Zealand will play India next in Hamilton on November 10, followed by the last two in Mount Maunganui on November 13 and 15.
Gurnoor Brar floors New Zealand in Wellington
Earlier, Indian bowlers once again outplayed the New Zealand batting unit, delivering a disciplined performance to bundle out the hosts for just 134 in 40.6 overs. With 185 in the first ODI and 134 in the second, India’s bowlers have once again delivered an impressive performance to keep New Zealand’s batting unit in check.
Following a rain delay, skipper Shubman had little hesitation in opting to bowl first, and his decision paid off as the Indian attack made excellent use of the conditions to dismantle the hosts’ batting lineup. Gurnoor Brar spearheaded India’s attack with an impressive four-wicket haul.
New Zealand got off to a disastrous start as Auqib Nabi struck twice to remove both openers. Anshul Kamboj then dismissed Henry Nicholls for 11, leaving the hosts reeling at 23/3. Daryl Mitchell attempted to revive the innings with a determined 55 and found some support from skipper Mitchell Santner, who scored 31 off 38 balls.
However, Gurnoor Brar broke the partnership by dismissing Santner before removing Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips in quick succession. Brar was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with career-best figures of 4/30 in 10 overs.