India pip New Zealand in thriller to clinch ODI series

KANPUR: India registered a 2-1 series victory against New Zealand after Jasprit Bumrah’s tidy final over secured the hosts’ six-run win in the third and final One-day International on Sunday.

New Zealand needed 15 runs off the final over to chase down a 338-run victory target but a nerveless Bumrah conceded only seven while picking up his third wicket of the match to help India prevail in the runfest.

Earlier, centurions Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma featured in a mammoth 230-run stand to help the hosts post 337-6 after New Zealand, wary of the dew factor later in the evening, elected to field at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium.

“Some really good cricket played and great spirit. Credit to Virat and team, they were the better team, just. Lots of promising signs for us,” said Williamson. “Tom Latham batted with such clarity in his mind, it was great to watch. Also Henry Nicholls. Ross is not new but he’s playing nicely as well. Bowlers stuck it out as well.”

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New Zealand lost opener Martin Guptill early in their reply but Colin Munro smashed three sixes in his blistering 75 and Kane Williamson made a fluent 64 to help them overcome the early loss.

Wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal ended the 109-run partnership, dismissing both the batsmen but Tom Latham refused to throw in the towel.

Latham and Ross Taylor had engineered New Zealand’s successful in the series opener in Mumbai and they looked determined to reprised the role.

Bumrah (3-47) poured cold water on their plans, however, by first dismissing Taylor for 39 and then running out Latham, who made 65, in the 48th over of the New Zealand innings.

“It was a pretty close game. Credit to New Zealand, they fought hard in this series and forced us to play our best cricket,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.

“I decided that I let the bowler do what he wants to do, and that’s why I was calm....glad the bowlers came out on top,” Kohli, who led India to their seventh successive bilateral series triumph, added.

Put into bat, India lost Shikhar Dhawan (14) early but New Zealand had to toil in the subsequent 35 overs as Kohli and Sharma became the first ODI pair to star in four double-century partnerships.

Sharma batted with characteristic elegance to score 147 off 138 balls. His 15th one-day century was studded with 18 boundaries and a couple of sixes before he fell in the 42nd over.

Kohli was silky smooth at the other end as the India captain became the fastest batsman to complete 9,000 ODI runs, achieving the feat in 194 innings.

The right-hander made 113 off 106 balls, with nine boundaries and a six in his 32nd one-day century.

The teams will next square off in a three-match Twenty20 series beginning in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Scoreboard

INDIA:

R.G. Sharma c Southee b Santner 147
S. Dhawan c Williamson b Southee 14
V. Kohli c Williamson b Southee 113
H.H. Pandya c Southee b Santner 8
M.S. Dhoni c Munro b Milne 25
K.M. Jadhav c Guptill b Milne 18
K.D. Karthik not out 4

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-7) 8

TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 337

FALL OF WKTS: 1-29, 2-259, 3-273, 4-302, 5-331, 6-337.

DID NOT BAT: B. Kumar, A.R. Patel, J.J. Bumrah, Y.S. Chahal.

BOWLING: Southee 10-0-66-2 (1w); Boult 10-0-81-0 (3w); Milne 10-0-64-2 (2w); Grandhomme 8-0-57-0; Santner 10-0-58-2; Munro 2-0-10-0 (1w).

NEW ZEALAND:

M.J. Guptill c Karthik b Bumrah 10
C. Munro b Chahal 75
K.S. Williamson c Dhoni b Chahal 64
L.R.P.L. Taylor c Jadhav b Bumrah 39
T.W.M. Latham run out 65
H.M. Nicholls b Kumar 37
C. de Grandhomme not out 8
M.J. Santner c Dhawan b Bumrah 9
T.G. Southee not out 4

EXTRAS (LB4, W16) 20

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 331

FALL OF WKTS: 1-44, 2-153, 3-168, 4-247, 5-306, 6-312, 7-326.

DID NOT BAT: A.F. Milne, T.A. Boult.

BOWLING: Kumar 10-0-92-1 (7w); Bumrah 10-0-47-3 (2w); Pandya 5-0-47-0 (2w); Patel 7-0-40-0 (1w); Jadhav 8-0-54-0 (1w); Chahal 10-0-47-2 (1w).

RESULT: India won by six runs to win three-match 2-1.

UMPIRES: A.K. Chaudhary (India) and M.A. Gough (England).

TV UMPIRE: R.J. Tucker (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Rohit Sharma.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Virat Kohli.

FIRST MATCH: Mumbai, New Zealand by six wickets.

SECOND MATCH: Pune, India won by six wickets.