Gurnoor Brar Takes 4 for 30 as India Beat New Zealand by Four Runs on DLS in Wellington

India beat New Zealand by four runs on the DLS method in the second one-day international in Wellington on Saturday 7 November. Seamer Gurnoor Brar took a career-best 4 for 30 to bowl the hosts out for 134, and rain ended the match with India 113 for 7 after 26 overs, four runs ahead of the par score of 109. The win put India 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Brar sets up the win

The match was cut to 47 overs a side, and India chose to bowl first. Brar bowled his full 10 overs and was named player of the match. Auqib Nabi took 2 for 31, while Anshul Kamboj and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each. New Zealand were bowled out in 41 overs. Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 55, and Mitchell Santner made 31.

After the match Brar said he had enjoyed bowling in New Zealand, where the “pace and the bounce” helped him, unlike the flatter pitches at home.

A nervous chase

A target of 135 looked simple, but India lost early wickets. Jacob Duffy removed Shubman Gill first ball and later dismissed Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma made 23. Shreyas Iyer scored 30 from 46 balls, and KL Rahul was unbeaten on 26 when the rain came. Duffy and Kyle Jamieson each finished with 3 for 35, and the match ended with India narrowly ahead of the DLS par.

Where the series stands

India won the first ODI in Auckland by five wickets. The third match, at Seddon Park in Hamilton on 10 November, was abandoned because of rain and ended as a no result, leaving India 2-0 ahead after three matches of the five-match series.