KL Rahul guides India to rain-affected ODI win over New Zealand in Wellington

KL Rahul steered India to a narrow four-run victory by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method against New Zealand in the second One-Day International in Wellington, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Bowling Performance

Gurnoor Brar led the Indian bowling attack with career-best figures of 4 for 30 from his 10 overs to skittle New Zealand out for 134 in 41 overs. Anshul Kamboj took 2 for 25, Auqib Nabi claimed 2 for 31, and Axar Patel picked up two wickets while conceding 28 runs in nine overs. Daryl Mitchell top-scored for the hosts with 55 runs off 104 balls, while captain Mitchell Santner added 31 runs as the pair shared a 59-run partnership for the sixth wicket after the top order collapsed to 29 for 3.

India's Chase

Chasing a modest target of 135 on a challenging pitch that offered steep bounce and seam movement, India stumbled to 113 for 7 in 26 overs. New Zealand fast bowlers Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson each took three wickets, reducing India to 47 for 4 after dismissing Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer. Rahul remained unbeaten on 26 runs, surviving a review and a top edge for six off Duffy, before persistent rain forced the umpires to call off the match with India four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109.

Context

Low-scoring cricket matches on seam-friendly pitches often test the technical skill and patience of top-order batters against disciplined fast bowling. Such rain-interrupted finishes rely heavily on the DLS method to determine the winner when matches cannot be completed naturally. Both teams will now travel to Hamilton for the third match of the series.