India beat New Zealand by 7 wickets in 3rd ODI, seal series

Speed Post News Network

Patna : India beat New Zealand (NZ) by 7 wickets in the 3rd ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, to take a 3-0 lead in the five-match series thus winning the series. Chasing a target of 243, India scored 245/3 in 43 overs with 7 overs to spare. Ambati Rayudu remained unbeaten on 40 in 42 balls with 5 fours and a six while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 38 in 38 balls with 5 fours and a six. Rayudu and Karthik added 77 runs for the 4th wicket. Fast bowler Mohammad Shami was named Player of the Match.

Earlier, openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan added 39 runs for the first wicket. Dhawan fell to fast bowler Trent Boult for 28 in 27 balls with 6 fours. Rohit and captain Virat Kohli then added 113 runs for the second wicket, their 16th century stand in ODIs.

Rohit fell to spinner Mitchell Santner for 62 in 77 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes, his second successive half-century in the series, making it 159/2. Kohli fell to Trent Boult for 60 in 74 balls with 6 fours and a six when the score was 168. Boult took 2/40 in 10 overs. from his team

Electing to bat after winning the toss, New Zealand were all out for 243 in 49 overs with Ross Taylor scoring 93 and wicketkeeper Tom Latham scoring 51. Captain Kane Williamson scored 28.

For India, Mohammad Shami took 3/41 in 9 overs while BhuvaneshwarKumar took 2/46 in 10 overs. All-rounder Hardik Pandya took 2/45 in 10 overs while wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took 2/51 in 9 overs. Doug Bracewell was run out for 15. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who was playing in place of an injured M S Dhoni, took 4 catches. India had lost the 2014 ODI series against New Zealand in New Zealand 0-4.

Kohli said that he could not have asked for a better performance from his players. He said that India had won the first three ODIs in a clinical manner. He said that the players believe in their skills. Kohli on January 28 won 47th ODI as captain.