Mount Maunganui: Jacob Duffy and skipper Mitchell Santner took three wickets each as New Zealand bundled India out for 209 in 42.1 overs in the fifth ODI at the Bay Oval on Sunday. It was another disappointing batting performance for India, as seen from it not including a single half-century.
While Santner aced his subtle changes in pace to pick 3-47, Duffy was very effective in picking 3-60. Matthew Fisher took two wickets, while Blair Tickner and Michael Bracewell, playing in his 50th ODI game, claimed one scalp each.
India had a sedate start as they made 20 runs in the first three overs, before Fisher struck in the sixth over when Rohit Sharma flicked a length ball straight to mid-wicket for 7. It capped a miserable series for Rohit, who scored only 30 runs, two of them being ducks.
Fisher then had Virat Kohli dismissed for 5 – a short ball outside off slashed up behind to Tim Seifert. Duffy’s first wicket came when his wobble-seam ball nipped back in and took Ruturaj Gaikwad’s inside edge and Seifert dived to his left to hold it and sent him back for 18.
Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer then dug in to rebuild India’s innings through a 52-run stand and were helped by two reprieves. Foxcroft put down a hard chance at mid-wicket off Axar, and Finn Allen dropped Iyer at slip off Duffy. Tickner got the breakthrough in the 18th over when the short ball tempted Iyer into a pull that went to mid-on, as the skipper left for 22. Michael Bracewell then dismissed Axar for 46 off 55 balls by having him caught at mid-wicket, as India slipped to 121/5 after 25 overs.
Varying his pace, Santner drew a false stroke from Naman Dhir, who was caught at deep cover for 22 after adding 39 runs with Ishan Kishan. Auqib Nabi was caught at cover while Yash Thakur made a duck on debut by edging to Seifert.
Vice-captain Kishan kept the innings alive with two sixes off Duffy in the 39th over, but the bowler had the last laugh in the 41st over when the left-hander top-edged a short delivery to third man and fell for 46 off 58 balls.
Arshdeep Singh smacked Duffy for two sixes in three balls and Mohammed Siraj hit Santner for one maximum to push India beyond 200. But Duffy signed off with a three-for through a slower ball that castled Arshdeep for 14. New Zealand will now back themselves to chase 210 and level the series at 2-2.
Brief Scores: India 209 in 42.1 overs (Axar Patel 46, Ishan Kishan 46; Mitchell Santner 3-47, Jacob Duffy 3-60) against New Zealand
–IANS
