India beat New Zealand in rain-hit second ODI

India continued their strong form in bowler-friendly conditions, defeating New Zealand by four runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method on Saturday in Wellington to claim a 2-0 lead in the current series. The wet conditions reduced the match to 47 overs per side and made batting treacherous, leaving fans following every update of the India New Zealand match closely.

New Zealand struggled after being put in to bat and were bowled out in 41 overs for a total of 134. Daryl Mitchell top-scored with a watchful 55, while captain Mitchell Santner contributed 31. No other home batsman managed more than 11 runs as unpredictable bounce and disciplined seam bowling dismantled the lineup. Gurnoor Brar delivered his best one-day international performance with figures of 4-30, including a crucial double-strike in the 20th over that removed Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips cheaply to leave the hosts at 53-5. Earlier, Auqib Nabi claimed his first two international wickets by dismissing openers Will Young and Tim Seifert, finishing with figures of 2-31.

India secured a narrow four-run DLS victory to take a 2-0 series lead.

In response, the visiting side experienced early trouble during their chase in Wellington. Jacob Duffy claimed 3-35, dismissing captain Shubman Gill for a golden duck and Virat Kohli for seven. Kyle Jamieson also took 3-35, removing top-scorer Shreyas Iyer for 30 and leaving the tourists struggling at 86-5. Rain eventually stopped play when India reached 113-7 after 26 overs, putting them four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109. KL Rahul was unbeaten on 26 alongside Auqib Nabi on one.

Following this narrow victory, the tourists need only one more win from the remaining fixtures to secure the five-match series. The teams will travel to Hamilton for the third match on Tuesday, building on the momentum from their five-wicket victory in the rain-affected opening fixture in Auckland.

Why it matters Put in to bat, New Zealand struggled to gain any momentum as India's pace attack dismantled their batting lineup. This latest result leaves the home side facing significant pressure as they trail 2-0 in the five-match series heading into the next fixture in Hamilton.