Auckland: India suffered a 22-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the second one-dayer to lose the three-match series at Eden Park here on Saturday.
Put in to bat, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor smashed half-centuries as New Zealand survived a mid-innings collapse to post a competitive 273 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Defending the total, the Kiwi bowlers were right on the money as they dismissed India for 251 in 48.3 overs to hand the visitors their second successive defeat. India had lost the first match by four wickets.
Chasing 274 for a win, Ravindra Jadeja top-scored with a 73-ball 55 while Shreyas Iyer made 52 from 57 balls.
Hamish Bennett (2/58) and Tim Southee (2/41), Kyle Jamieson (2/42) and Colin de Grandhomme (2/54) took two wicket each.
Earlier, in-form Taylor produced a rearguard act with an unbeaten 73 off 74 balls — his 51st half-century — and put on 76 off 51 balls for the ninth wicket with Jamieson (25 not out) to lift the hosts from 197-8 to a competitive score.
Opener Guptill scored a run-a-ball 79 and alongwith his opening partner Herny Nicholls (41) shared a 93-run partnership to give the hosts a good start but they lost five wickets for 26 runs to look down the barrel at one stage.
Yuzvendra Chahal (3/58) claimed three wickets, Shardul Thakur (2/60) took two wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja (1/35) snapped one and effected a run-out to put the hosts in a spot of bother in the middle but Taylor’s brilliance saw them post a good score.
Earlier, India made two changes, bringing in Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal in place of Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav.
New Zealand, on the other hand, handed ODI debut to Jamieson, the country’s tallest bowler standing at six feet, eight inches. He replaced spinner Ish Sodhi, while Mark Chapman came in for Mitchell Santner in the playing XI.
Brief Score:
New Zealand: 273 for 8 in 50 overs (Martin Guptill 79, Ross Taylor 73; Yuzvendra Chahal 3/58).
India: 251 all out in 48.3 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 55, Shreyas Iyer 52; Tim Southee 2/41, Kyle Jamieson 2/42).