New Zealand Beat India by Six Runs in Second ODI  

New Delhi: New Zealand defeated India by six runs in a closely-fought second One-Day International (ODI) cricket match at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Thursday - the Kiwis' first win on the current tour of the country.

Kedar Jadhav (41) was the highest scorer for the hosts and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni contributed 39 runs in the team's chase of 243-run target. For New Zealand, Tim Southee scalped three wickets while Trent Boult and Martin Guptill took two wickets each. New Zealand scored 242/9 riding on skipper Kane Williamson's fine century (118). With the win, New Zealand squared the five-match series 1-1.

We kept losing wickets against run of play, says Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said losing wickets against the run of play while chasing a tricky target led to the home team's defeat against New Zealand in the second ODI here.

The Black Caps levelled the five-match series 1-1 and in the process also won their first game of the tour. India were all-out for 236 in 49.3 overs while chasing a target of 243. It is also after 11 long years that India have lost an ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here.

“I feel this was one game where we lost wickets against the run of play, it was not that the deliveries were good, we just kept losing wickets,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “Until the end we had the run rate under control. When you're chasing you need to play 50 overs and at one stage it didn't look like we would,” he said. Dhoni also credited New Zealand as his own bowlers for the superb show in the match.

“I felt the New Zealand bowlers bowled really well but we just kept losing wickets. I don't think there was a lot of dew, it was not coming out to the bat,” he said. “I think we bowled really well, after the new ball it was key to get reverse swing and put pressure on the batsman,” Mishy (Amit Mishra) bowled well and got crucial wickets.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was adjudged man-of-the-match for his 118-run knock which was largely responsible for the visitors 242 run score on the board. Williamson too credited his bowlers for helping the Kiwis register their first win in the tour. “The wicket wasn't easy to increase the scoring rate, at the halfway stage we were a few off where we wanted to be. A lot of credit to the way we bowled, to create pressure on that surface was key and Trent Boult was outstanding,” he said.

“The bowling was huge for us. We were below par but we did have enough runs to create a squeeze, dealing with the dew is never easy. The dew didn't help the spinners and they did a great job. There wasn't much turn but they did great for us. Seam bowling was easier to face on that surface. It was a good game of cricket,” Williamson added.