TARGET - 244; RESULT - India Won By Seven Wickets With 42 Balls To Spare
India registered their third back-to-back bilateral ODI series win by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing series against New Zealand.
Continuing their clinical performance, the Men in Blue defeated the Kiwis by seven wickets in the third ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.
Chasing a modest target of 244 runs, opener Rohit Sharma (62 off 77) and skipper Virat Kohli (60 off 74) played brilliant knocks then the Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik finished the chase with a 77-run fourth-wicket stand.
India have won the first two matches by eight wickets and 90 runs respectively.
Before the New Zealand tour, India have won their maiden series in Australia and beat the West Indies at home.
With an unassailable lead in the five-match series, skipper Kohli signed off his tour Down Under on a high with a first ODI series win in New Zealand in 10 years. However, it is to be noted that prior to this, India played just one series here since the one in 2009.
It was a complete team effort after the bowlers shot New Zealand out for 243 in 49 overs with all-rounder Hardik Pandya (2/45 in 10 overs) making his presence felt with the ball as well as on the field. Pandya was playing his first match after the suspension on him for sexist remarks on a TV show was lifted.
Ross Taylor top-scored for the hosts with a 106-ball 93, while Tom Latham hit a 64-ball 51.
Mohammed Shami won the match of the match award for the second time in the series. In the first match at Napier, he took three wickets for 19 runs, which effectively set up the platform for India win.
The fourth match will be played on Thursday in Hamilton.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand: 243 all out in 49 overs (Ross Taylor 93, T Latham 51; Mohammed Shami 3/41, Hardik Pandya 2/46).
India: 245 for 3 in 43 overs. (R Sharma 62, V Kohli 60, A Rayudu 40 not out; T Boult 2/40)
Indian captain Virat Kohli departed after making 60 off 74 balls in the 32nd over. But Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik have seen added another 44 runs from 47 balls as India inched closer to the win. After 39 overs, India were 212/3, still needing 32 runs.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (57 off 69) registered their 16th 100+ stand in ODIs. After 28 overs, India were 151/1 with a second-wicket stand of 112 off 118 balls. But in the very next over, Sharma (62 off 77) got stumped off the bowling off Mitchell Santner. Ambati Rayudu is the new man in the centre.
India lost the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan (28 off 27), but Rohit Sharma (31 off 42) and skipper Virat Kohli (10 off 15) have steadied the innings. After 14 overs, India were 69/1.
Rohit Sharma (8 off 10) and Shikhar Dhawan (18 off 14) off to a good start. After four overs, India were 26/0.
New Zealand Innings
A disciplined Indian bowling line-up dismissed New Zealand for 243. Mohammed Shami took three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya got a brace each.
For the Kiwis, Ross Taylor top-scored with 93 runs, while Tom Latham contributed with 51 runs.
But the focus was on returning Pandya, who seemed unfazed by the tribulations of the past few weeks and made a significant contribution to India's impressive bowling effort.
Coming back into the side after the suspension on him for sexist remarks on a TV show was lifted, Pandya delivered figures of two for 45 in 10 overs and choked the run flow during the middle overs.
Skipper Virat Kohli's stand on the kind of balance that the Baroda all-rounder brings to the side stood vindicated during another controlled bowling effort by the visitors.
Save the 119-run fourth wicket stand between Ross Taylor (93 off 106 balls) and Tom Latham (51 off 64 balls), New Zealand couldn't really accelerate against the Indian attack on a pitch that was a touch slower compared to the second ODI.
Brief Score
New Zealand: 243 all out in 49 overs (Ross Taylor 93; Mohammed Shami 3/41).
Ten overs to go. Ross Taylor keeping the Kiwi innings in shape with a valiant knock. He's on 78 off 94 balls. He just lost the company of Henry Nicholls (6 off 8), caught behind off Hardik Pandya. Mitchell Santner was on nought off three.
Kiwis will need to increase the scoring rate. They were 191/5.
Veteran Ross Taylor (62 off 83) keeps the Kiwis hopes alive with brilliant fifty. He and Tom Latham (38 off 50) has added 98 runs from 107 balls. Kiwis were 156/3 after 34 overs.
Back in the team after the fiasco, Hardik Pandya took a blinder to help Yuzvendra Chahal send Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson (28 off 48) back in the hut in the 17th over. Kiwis were 62/3 after 18 overs.
Both the Kiwi openers gone. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Martin Guptill (13 off 15), caught behind. Kiwis 27/2 after seven overs. Kane Williamson (6 off 15) and Ross Taylor (1 off 3) in the centre. India still operating with the two new ball bowlers.
Mohammed Shami removed Colin Munro with the last ball of the third over to give India just the perfect start.
Toss
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first.
India will miss Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been good touch in the last few outings, due to a hamstring concern. His place has been taken by Dinesh Karthik. But the visitors will have the services of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who will replace Vijay Shankar.
The Kiwis made one change. Spinner Mitchell Santner comes in for all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Confident India will aim to display another dominant performance to seal the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series in the third match at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Monday.
After registering big victories in the first two ODI matches, the Indian team is high on confidence and is likely to dominate the proceedings on the spin-assisting pitch at Bay Oval.
