India survive New Zealand scare in rain-hit thriller, take 2-0 lead

India held their nerve in a rain-interrupted, low-scoring thriller to edge past New Zealand by four runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the second ODI on Saturday, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

In a contest dominated by the fast bowlers, India's pace attack set up the victory by bowling out the hosts for 134 before Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul steadied a shaky chase, which was eventually cut short by rain in Wellington. Chasing a revised target, India were struggling at 113/7 when the weather intervened, leaving them 22 runs short of the target. However, they stayed ahead on the DLS par score to seal a hard-fought victory and put themselves in a strong position in the series.

India's chase got off to a disastrous start as Jacob Duffy struck with his very first delivery, dismissing Shubman Gill for a golden duck. The right-arm pacer returned in his next over to remove Virat Kohli, leaving the visitors in early trouble. Rohit Sharma attempted to provide some momentum, but New Zealand's seamers continued to apply pressure. Kyle Jamieson delivered a disciplined spell to remove key batters and leave India reeling at 47/4, bringing the hosts firmly back into the contest. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul took responsibility for rebuilding the innings. Iyer scored a valuable 30 off 46 deliveries, helping India recover from their early setbacks. Rahul, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 26 off 38 balls, striking two fours and two sixes. He held one end together as wickets continued to tumble before rain brought the contest to an early conclusion.

Earlier, India's fast bowlers produced a commanding performance to restrict New Zealand to just 134 in 41 overs. The match had been reduced to 47 overs per side following rain, but the hosts struggled to cope with the visitors' pace and accuracy. Auqib Nabi provided India with an early breakthrough, removing openers Tim Seifert and Will Young to put New Zealand on the back foot. The dismissal of Seifert also marked Nabi's maiden international wicket. New Zealand were further pushed into trouble at 53/3 when Gurnoor Brar delivered a double-wicket maiden, dismissing captain Tom Latham and the in-form Glenn Phillips. The twin strikes left the hosts struggling to recover from the early damage. Daryl Mitchell offered some resistance with a patient 55 off 104 balls. He was given a reprieve on 21 when Shubman Gill dropped a straightforward catch at cover, and the right-hander made the most of the opportunity to keep New Zealand's innings moving.

Captain Mitchell Santner provided some support with 31 off 38 deliveries, with the pair adding 59 runs for the sixth wicket. However, the lower order failed to build on their contribution as New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 134. Brar was India's standout bowler, finishing with figures of 4/30, while Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each.

The four-run DLS victory gives India a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, leaving New Zealand with plenty of work to do in the remaining fixtures.