Kohli, Dhoni show

Chasing 286, India were off to a horrid start losing Rahane in the third over for five runs and with just 13 on the board. It became 41 for two in the ninth over and from then on it was a Kohli and skipper M S Dhoni (80) show. The duo added 151 runs for the thrid wicket in a little more than 27 overs and put the Indian chase firmly back on track. 

A mistimed shot off Matt Henry saw Dhoni lobbing a catch to Ross Taylor at short cover and Manish Pandey joined the Indian vice-captain to thwart any danger and guide India home. Earlier, Jimmy Neesham and Matt Henry shared a blistering 84-run stand for the ninth wicket to help New Zealand post 285 after Indian spinners reduced the visitors to a precarious 199 for 8. 

With the ball coming nicely on to the bat, New Zealand were off to their best start of the series coasting to 64 for one in 10 overs. Guptill, who had 171 runs in eight innings on this tour prior to today, began on a promising note. He hit Umesh Yadav on the up for a cracking four through point before dispatching Hardik Pandya for a comfortable six over long on. 

The opener followed it up with another straight six over extra cover and a slash through point in Pandya’s subsequent over. The in-form Latham was batting patiently at the other end. He got into the act by pulling Yadav for a six. And just when it seemed Guptill was set to end his barren run, Yadav trapped him in front of the stumps with a fuller length ball that moved in sharply. 

Skipper Kane Williamson (22) joined Latham in the middle and got off the mark with a gentle push past mid-on. High on confidence, Williamson looked in fine form until he failed to spot a straighter one spinner Jadhav to leave his team at 80 for two in 13 overs. Taylor’s dismissal led to a flurry of wickets though New Zealand still managed to reach close to the 300 milestone, thanks to a valiant partnership between Neesham (57 off 47) and Henry (39 not out off 37). 

New Zealand: M Guptill lbw Yadav 27, T Latham c Pandya b Jadhav 61, K Williamson lbw Jadhav 22, R Taylor st Dhoni b Mishra 44, C Anderson c Rahane b Jadhav 6, L Ronchi st Dhoni b Mishra 1, J Neesham c Jadhav b Yadav 57, M Santner c Kohli b Bumrah 7, T Southee b Yadav 13, M Henry (not out) 39, T Boult b Bumrah 1. Extras (w 7) 7. Total (all out in 49.4 overs) 285. FoW: 1-46, 2-80, 3-153, 4-160, 5-161, 6-169, 7-180, 8-199, 9-283, 10-285. Bowling: U Yadav 10-0-75-3, H Pandya 5-0-34-0, J Bumrah 9.4-0-52-2, K Jadhav 5-0-29-3, A Patel 10-0-49-0, A Mishra 10-0-46-2.

India: R Sharma lbw Southee 13, A Rahane c Santner b Henry 5, V Kohli (not out) 154, MS Dhoni c Taylor b Henry 80, M Pandey (not out) 28. Extras (lb 2, w 7) 9. Total (for three wickets in 48.2 overs) 289. FoW: 1-13, 2-41, 3-192. Bowling: M Henry 9.2-0-56-2, T Boult 10-0-73-0, T Southee 10-0-55-1, M Santner 10-0-43-0, J Neesham 9-0-60-0.