Sports Mishra spins India to series win

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Mishra spins India to series win

New Zealand was bowled out for just 79 runs in 23.1 overs in the final one-day international on Saturday as India won the five-match series 3-2.

VISAKHAPATNAM, India (AP) — New Zealand was bowled out for just 79 runs in 23.1 overs in the final one-day international on Saturday as India won the five-match series 3-2.
Leg spinner Amit Mishra took 5-18 as the Black Caps lost eight wickets for 16 runs to collapse to their lowest ODI total against India.

Mishra took the man of the match and series awards with 15 wickets overall.

"I was tense after the first two overs. But MS (Dhoni) told me to bowl for wickets. And they didn't stop coming after the first one," the 33-year-old Mishra said.

Chasing its first ODI series win on Indian soil, after the hosts' 269-6, New Zealand got off to a bad start. Umesh Yadav (1-28) bowled Martin Guptill (0) in the first over.

Tom Latham (19) and captain Kane Williamson (27) added 28 runs for the second wicket, before Latham was caught at mid-on as he lobbed a rising delivery from Jasprit Bumrah (1-16).

Ross Taylor put on 35 runs with Williamson for the third wicket. The skipper was caught on 19 at long-off after going for a big shot against Axar Patel (2-9) in the 15th over.

The New Zealand batting then collapsed.

Dhoni completed a smart catch off Taylor off Mishra in the 16th over. Two balls later, the leg spinner bowled BJ Watling for a duck with a googly.

At the other end, debutant Jayant Yadav (1-8) picked his maiden ODI wicket when he trapped Corey Anderson (0) lbw off the last ball of the 19th over. Within the space of next five balls, the visitors lost another two wickets.

Mishra bowled James Neesham and then four balls later Tim Southee was stumped by Dhoni. Two overs later, Mishra completed his second five-wicket haul in ODI cricket, as Ish Sodhi's skier was caught by Ajinkya Rahane.

India completed its massive win, when Patel bowled Mitchell Santner in the 24th over. The visitors collapsed from 63-2 in the space of 51 balls.

"Losing eight wickets for 20-odd on any wicket is unacceptable," Williamson said. "We expected more fight from the batsmen. We needed partnerships but never got them. It was an incredibly disappointing performance and there are no excuses."

It was the shortest innings — in terms of overs faced — for New Zealand in ODI cricket where they have been bowled out. It was also the highest margin of defeat against India in terms of runs.

"The spinners have bowled well in this series but they got more assistance here. This was an exceptional performance," said Dhoni.

Earlier, India opted to bat first and scored 269-6.

Rohit Sharma top-scored with 70 runs, including five fours and three sixes, with Virat Kohli hitting 65.

India, which usually likes to chase in limited-overs cricket, made a sedate start. Sharma and Rahane (20) put on 40 runs for the first wicket in more than nine overs. Neesham (1-30) provided the breakthrough as Rahane was caught at short midwicket.

Kohli and Sharma then put on 79 runs for the second wicket. Sharma reached his 29th ODI half-century off 49 balls in the only period of the Indian innings when runs flowed easily.

Sharma was caught at deep midwicket off Trent Boult (2-52), a short ball doing the trick. Dhoni (41) then came to the crease and added 71 runs for the third wicket with Kohli.

However, the run rate dropped as Santner (1-36) applied the brakes. He also trapped Dhoni lbw in the 38th over, as India lost momentum.

Sodhi (2-66) had dropped a return chance from Kohli on 8 and the vice captain went on to score his 38th ODI half-century off 62 balls. He held the innings together, even as Manish Pandey played a poor shot and holed out at deep midwicket for a duck.

The big moment came in the 44th over as Kohli was caught in the deep off Sodhi. Kedar Jadhav (39 not out) and Axar (24) then put on 46 runs off 39 balls, and helped India past the 250-mark in the 49th over.

Both hit a six each, before Boult bowled Axar in the last over.

India won its first ODI series against an opposition of note since November 2014, when it beat Sri Lanka 5-0. In the interim India only managed to beat Zimbabwe twice, while losing in Bangladesh and against South Africa at home last year.

This win will come as a relief in the build-up to the 2017 Champions Trophy, given that India rested senior bowlers Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami.

"We were able to rest key players because we have a big test series coming up. The inexperienced middle-order would have learnt a lot out of this series. We were able to spend more time on the youngsters," said Dhoni.

India next hosts England for a five-test series starting in Rajkot on Nov. 9.

The Black Caps now fly home after six weeks on tour, losing a test series 3-0 as well. But the tourists will be satisfied at having pushed India hard at different times during the tour.

"When you play a quality side in such conditions, there is a huge amount of learning," Williamson said. "It has come on the back of unfortunate losses and tough lessons. It is important to learn those lessons and become a better side going forward."