Half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and stellar performance with the ball from Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya helped India register an ODI series win in New Zealand after 10 years.
Set a target of 244, India cruised to victory with 7 wickets and as many overs in hand. After getting a blazing start through openers Shikhar Dhawan (28 off 27) and Rohit Sharma, captain Virat Kohli took centre stage hitting his 49th ODI fifty.
Kohli and Rohit put on 113 runs for the second wicket which ended New Zealand’s hopes of scripting a turnaround in the series. Both Kohli and Rohit were dismissed after getting fifties. While Rohit lost his balance when he tried to charge left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, Kohli provided a simple catch to Nicholls at covers off the bowling of Trent Boult.
After Kohli's dismissal India’s No.4 Ambati Rayudu, who was banned from bowling minutes before he walked out to bat, played a brilliant inning of 40 off 42 balls and was well supported by Dinesh Karthik who scored a run a ball 38 to take India home.
India last won an ODI series in New Zealand back in 2009 when the MS Dhoni-led side beat the Blackcaps 3-1. Virat Kohli was not even a part of that ODI squad.
Earlier, Hardik Pandya seemed unfazed by the tribulations of the past few weeks and made a significant contribution to India's impressive bowling effort which shot New Zealand out for 243.
Coming back into the side after the suspension on him for sexist remarks on a TV show was lifted, Pandya delivered figures of two for 45 in 10 overs and choked the run flow during the middle overs.
Skipper Virat Kohli's stand on the kind of balance that the Baroda all-rounder brings to the side stood vindicated during another controlled bowling effort by the visitors.
Save the 119-run fourth wicket stand between Ross Taylor (93 off 106 balls) and Tom Latham (51 off 64 balls), New Zealand couldn't really accelerate against the Indian attack on a pitch that was a touch slower compared to the second ODI.
Mohammed Shami (3/41 in 9 overs), who had all but sealed the third seamer's spot for the World cup, once again provided the initial breakthrough as Colin Munro (7) edged one to Rohit Sharma in the slip cordon.
Martin Guptill (13) then got a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/46 in 9 overs), which moved a shade after pitching. The resultant nick was taken by Dinesh Karthik, replacing an injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni (hamstring) behind the stumps.
Kane Williamson's (28) bane in the series has been not capitalising on good starts and it was no different in this game either with Pandya coming into the focus with an impressive catch at the mid-wicket off Yuzvendra Chahal (2/51 in 9 overs).
Chahal shortened the length as Williamson came out. The home batsman couldn't control his flick shot and an agile Pandya did the rest.
Pandya's bowling was sharp as he got a few to rear up to both Taylor and Latham, who resurrected the innings from 59 for 3.
Pandya's first spell read 5-0-9-0 with 23 dot balls.
In his second spell, he did get some stick but removed Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner in successive overs.
The first was a slow bouncer that climbed on Nicholls while the second was a length ball that was edged by Santner.
This was after Latham and Taylor were dismissed to leave New Zealand struggling.