India Crushed New Zealand, Hosts Won Series 3-2.

New Zealand were beaten by India with a huge margin of 190 runs in the final and fifth ODI to win the five-match series by 3-2. Ruthless India crushed the visitors and got them all out in mere 23.1 overs, which is the lowest played by the Kiwis in a completed innings. Amit Mishra was the star bowler who took five wickets in six overs and finished with figures of 5/18 which was his second best career performance. Left arm spinner Axar Patel picked up two wickets while Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and debutant Jayant Yadav took a wicket apiece.

Umesh Yadav picked up opener Martin Guptill for a duck, for the second time in this series with a beautiful outswinger again. Kane Williamson tried to rebuild the innings with Latham and Taylor, but once he fell in the 15th over at the team score of 63, the remaining seven wickets could only add sixteen runs as the Kiwis gifted the match to India.

Earlier, Indian opener Rohit Sharma, who didn’t have a great series so far, played with comfort but he picked up an injury. For the well being of team he started playing big shots and got out for 70. Virat Kohli scored 65 runs and looked set, but could not push the innings. MS Dhoni chipped in with 41 runs, who again came at no. 4. Lower Middle Order batsman Axar Patel and Kedar Jadhav added important 46 runs for the seventh wicket to help India propel to 269/6 on a slow Vizag pitch. For the visitors, Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi took two wickets each while Mitchell Santner and Jimmy Neesham picked up a wicket each.

In the end, India won the match by a massive margin of 190 runs and clinched the five-match ODI series 3-2. New Zealand who were down in confidence after a 3-0 Whitewash in the Test series, fought competitively in ODI Series, but it must be remembered that India were without the services of R Ashwin, Jadeja and Mohammad Shami, with Suresh Raina unavailable too. Finally MS Dhoni won an ODI series after losing to Bangladesh, South Africa and Australia.