IND vs NZ, 1st ODI: Taylor's Belligerent Ton Helps Kiwis Pull Off Herculean Chase, Register 4-wicket Win

Ross Taylor notched up a belligerent century and Henry Nicolls and Tom Latham contributed with crucial half tons to help New Zealand equal their highest ever chase in ODIs and win the high scoring thriller.

Ross Taylor

New Delhi: New Zealand pulled off a sensational 348-run chase to defeat India by four wickets and win the first of the 3-match ODIs played at the Seddon Park in Hamilton. Ross Taylor notched up a belligerent century and Henry Nicolls and Tom Latham contributed with crucial half tons to help New Zealand equal their highest ever chase in ODIs and win the high scoring thriller. Chasing a herculean 348-run target, the Kiwis started steadily with openers Henry Nicholls and Martin Guptill laying a strong platform for the Black Caps. While Guptill fell to Shardul Thakur for 32, Henry Nicholls kept a calm head to anchor the hosts innings with the experienced Ross Taylor. Once Nicolls was dismissed courtesy a brilliant run-out from Kohli, Taylor took the Indian attack to the cleaners belting boundaries at will against Tom Latham joint Taylor in unleashing the carnage with a whirlwind 68 off just 48 deliveries.New Zealand finally got the money off their back by winning the first game in the ongoing tour against India. WATCH: Kiwis Pull Off Sensational Chase Against India In Hamilton ODI to go 1-0 Up In Series <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7OHJpOgk1YE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> India's new found No. 4 Shreyas Iyer continued his purple patch with the bat as he scored his maiden ODI ton to help the Men in Blue set a formidable 348-run target for New Zealand in the first ODI at the Seddon Park on Wednesday. Iyer, who had scored six half centuries before this innings, looked determined right from the start and once he got into the groove, he made sure he converted it into a big one and contribute for the team, who have been marred with injuries. Earlier after being put into bat, debutants Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal provided India with a steady start. They initially faced some tough time but managed to get through that and stitched a 50-run stand. However, both failed to capitalise on their starts as they got out in successive overs. While Shaw (20) was the first to go as he got a peach of a delivery from Colin de Grandhomme, Agarwal tried to be over aggressive and in the process gifted his wicket to Tim Southee after contributing with 32. Skipper Virat Kohli then stitched a 102-run stand with Iyer and steadied India's ship. The Indian captain looked all set to score yet another century but was undone by a brilliant googly from Ish Sodhi and was bowled after scoring 51. K.L. Rahul, who has been in the form of his life on the ongoing tour, continued from where he left in the T20Is, and made sure runs come thick and fast for the visitors. Both shared a 136-run partnership before Iyer got out after playing a brilliant knock of 103. However, the dismissal didn't deter the confidence of Rahul who continued with his prolific form and switched gears to take India past the 300-run mark. He was well supported by Kedar Jadhav, who played a nice cameo and took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners. The duo added 55 runs off 27 balls as India finished at 347/4 in their allotted quota of 50 overs. While Rahul remained unbeaten at 84 (64 balls), Jadhav scored 26 runs in 15 balls. None of the Black Cap bowlers could stall the Indian run-rate as they were taken to task by the Men in Blue.