Rain Saves India From Late Collapse! Men In Blue Edge New Zealand As DLS Decides 2nd ODI

IND vs NZ 2nd ODI: India moved two wins clear in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand after scraping through a rain-affected second encounter in Wellington. Chasing a modest target on a challenging surface, the visitors endured a few anxious moments before rain brought the contest to an early end, leaving them four runs ahead on the DLS method. The result came after India's bowlers dismantled the hosts for just 134, their lowest ODI total against India on home soil. 

Brar Leads India's Bowling Rout

New Zealand's innings never found momentum after Auqib Nabi dismissed Tim Seifert for a duck in the second over.

Anshul Kamboj soon removed Will Young and Henry Nicholls, leaving the hosts reeling at 23/3.

Brar tightened India's grip in the middle overs, sending Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips back in the same over.

New Zealand slipped further, but Daryl Mitchell offered resistance with 55 off 104 balls. Mitchell Santner added 31, and their 59-run stand briefly steadied the innings.

Axar Patel eventually broke the partnership, while Brar continued to strike. He finished with 4-30, with Kamboj and Axar claiming two wickets each. Nabi also picked up two as New Zealand were dismissed in 41 overs.

India Stumble Before Rain Decides The Contest

India's reply began disastrously. Captain Shubman Gill departed for a golden duck, while Virat Kohli managed only seven before Jacob Duffy dismissed his RCB teammate.

Rohit Sharma struck two fours and two sixes in his 23, but India continued to lose wickets. Axar contributed just seven.

Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul attempted to rebuild the chase, with Iyer scoring 30 before falling to a sharp short ball from Duffy.

Anshul Kamboj then got out attempting a big hit, leaving India with only four wickets in hand.

With 22 runs still required, rain interrupted play. There was no resumption, and India were eventually declared winners by four runs under the DLS method, securing a 2-0 series advantage.