Wellington, Nov 7:
Right-arm pacer Gurnoor Brar spearheaded an incisive Indian bowling attack with a three-wicket burst, leaving New Zealand tottering at 129 for 8 in 39.1 overs in the rain-curtailed second One-Day International at the Basin Reserve on Saturday.
After persistent morning showers delayed the toss by an hour and trimmed the contest to 47 overs per side, India skipper Shubman Gill opted to bowl first. Early breakthroughs set the tone when Auqib Nabi removed Tim Seifert for two, followed by Will Young for four thanks to a diving one-handed catch by KL Rahul. Anshul Kamboj quickly accounted for Henry Nicholls for eight to leave the hosts reeling at 23 for 3 inside nine overs.
Brar dismantled the middle order after the drinks break, removing Tom Latham for seven and Glenn Phillips for a duck in the same over before returning to dismiss Mitchell Santner for six. Daryl Mitchell provided the solitary resistance for New Zealand, scoring a fighting 55 off 104 deliveries before miscuing Axar Patel to long-off. Axar promptly trapped Kyle Jamieson, ensuring India maintained a firm grip ahead of their run chase.