Capitalise on promising starts, with only Daryl Mitchell making a significant contribution, while skipper Michael Bracewell was run out from a direct hit by Shreyas Iyer.Mitchell blazed his way to 84 with five boundaries and three sixes before being trapped leg-before to Prasidh Krishna while attempting another big shot. Kristian Clarke’s unbeaten 24 helped New Zealand add 50 runs in the final five overs to reach 300.
Kohli and Gill build parnership
India’s chase got off to a rocky start when opener Rohit Sharma fell for 26, but Kohli and captain Shubman Gill steadied the ship with a crucial 118-run partnership.
“I’m not thinking about the milestones at all. If we were batting first today, I would have probably gone harder. Even with the chase, because there was a total on the board, I had to kind of buckle down and play the situation,” Kohli added.
Gill contributed a patient 56 but fell shortly after receiving treatment on his back before Jamieson (4-41) then turned the match on its head with a devastating spell.
He removed Ravindra Jadeja in the same over as Kohli before clean-bowling Iyer for 49, his off stump knocked out of the ground as India slumped to 242-5.
Enter Rana, who counter-attacked brilliantly and was fortunate to survive a dropped catch at long-on when on 12. He made New Zealand pay, scoring 29 before being caught behind, keeping India in the hunt.
With pressure mounting and India needing to maintain a run-a-ball rate, KL Rahul held his nerve to guide the hosts home with an unbeaten 29, sealing victory with two fours and a six in the penultimate over.
The victory gives India a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of the second game in Rajkot on Wednesday.
