Rain ends Wellington thriller, India take 2-0 series lead

India needed 22 more runs when rain stopped play in Wellington, but the score that mattered was 113 for seven. Four runs above the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score, India were declared winners after officials called off the second ODI. New Zealand had three wickets left to take; instead, the downpour decided a close match and gave India a 2-0 series lead. ^1,2

That four-run margin followed a day shaped by rain and a lively pitch. The match was shortened to 47 overs per side, and India captain Shubman Gill chose to bowl. India’s bowlers dismissed New Zealand for 134, with fast bowler Gurnoor Brar taking four wickets for 30 runs. Daryl Mitchell made 55 and Mitchell Santner scored 31, but the rest of the batting order could not offer enough support. ^2,9

The 134-run target looked manageable, yet New Zealand’s bowlers made India work for every run. Gill fell for a first-ball duck and Virat Kohli made seven. Rohit Sharma scored 23 before Shreyas Iyer’s 30 and an unbeaten 26 from KL Rahul steadied the chase. Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy took three wickets each, leaving India in a tough spot when rain arrived at 113 for seven. The DLS calculation compares the teams’ scores when play stops, based on the overs and wickets available. It put India narrowly ahead. ^2,3

That narrow result puts India one win away from taking the five-match series, while New Zealand must win the third ODI to keep the contest alive. Brar earned Player of the Match for his spell, and New Zealand captain Santner called the pitch tricky while saying his side could have scored more. The next match is in Hamilton, where New Zealand need a response. ^1,2