New Zealand VS India Match ball by ball Commentary

Signing off - That’s all from a wet Wellington, where India’s pacers shone, but Shubman Gill’s side will look back at the way they went about things with the bat and look to correct that. For New Zealand, it was a second game in a row in which they couldn’t dictate terms with the bat, and they will have to find a way to respond. The series now moves to Hamilton for the third ODI on Tuesday, 10th November. The first ball will be bowled at 2 am GMT (7.30 am IST). We look forward to having your company then. Cheers!

The Indian skipper - Shubman Gill says that, as long as India get the win, that is what matters. He acknowledges that batting was not easy and admits that, after bowling New Zealand out for 134, he expected the chase to be straightforward, but it proved otherwise. He is pleased that India got over the line in the end. On the bowling attack clicking together, Gill highlights Gurnoor Brar’s outstanding performance and notes that he bowled well in the previous match too. He believes that, with more games and experience, Brar will become more consistent with his line and length. Gill says Brar already has the pace and bounce, and that consistency will determine how much quality he can bring on a regular basis. When he is asked about Gautam Gambhir's message to the young bowlers, Gill says most of them already have the qualities India need. For him, the key is performing under pressure, gaining experience by bowling day in and day out, and learning to deliver when it matters most. Gill identifies the late loss of wickets as an area to improve ahead of Hamilton. He says the pitch was challenging, but India lost two more wickets than they would have liked at the end. Knowing rain could arrive, Gill feels the final two shots - resulting in the dismissals of Dhir and Kamboj - did not look good. Says had India lost by four or five runs via DLS, it would have been a 'stinker', but he is relieved they got over the line.

The captain of New Zealand - Mitchell Santner admits it was a tricky wicket, with no hiding that fact. He feels India bowled really well upfront and put New Zealand under pressure. He acknowledges that the total was below par at the halfway stage, but gives credit to the bowlers for keeping them in the contest. He says the only way to win was to pick up early wickets, and he was pleased to see the bowlers come back spell after spell and chip away at the wickets. On not bowling himself, Santner says he warmed up for a bit but felt the seamers were effective on this surface, so he chose not to bring himself into the attack. Santner admits that his side could have done better to scrape their way to 160 or 180. He acknowledges that India bowled really well and made life difficult for the batters. Providing an update on Blair Tickner, Santner confirms that he is back at the hotel and hopes he recovers well. However, given his recent concussion, the team will be cautious and give him enough time to recover without rushing things.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Gurnoor Brar has been given the accolade for his career-best figures of 4/30 in his 10 overs. Gurnoor says he has thoroughly enjoyed bowling in New Zealand, explaining that the pace and bounce on offer here suit his game. He notes that pitches in India tend to be flatter, requiring bowlers to hit a hard length, whereas the extra bounce in New Zealand gives the seamers more assistance. On his aggression while bowling and celebrating every wicket, Brar says that a fast bowler operating at around 140-142 kph needs to bring intensity, while also knowing where to draw the line. He adds that he enjoys bowling with that aggression and simply keeps going. On executing his bouncers well, Brar says he tries to bowl the hard length that tempts the batter into the pull shot, around shoulder height. Says he keeps hitting that length, looking to trap the batter.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Brar breathes fire - Earlier, the start was delayed by an hour because of rain, with the contest reduced to 47 overs per side. It was a no-brainer for Shubman Gill to bowl first, and the seamers consistently probed away and chipped away at the wickets. Dropped on 21 by Gill, Daryl Mitchell brought up a half-century and got a partnership going with Mitchell Santner, but he never really looked in command, and after he fell, the rest caved in. Having gone wicketless in Auckland, Auqib Nabi set the tone upfront with a couple of wickets before the rest took over. Gurnoor Brar was the standout, finishing with a career-best ODI return of 4/30 from his 10 overs, including 2 maidens.

What might have been - India’s top three have done the heavy lifting lately, so getting all of them out early gave the Kiwis a real spring in their step. Kyle Jamieson was unlucky to pick up just a solitary wicket in his opening spell, while Jacob Duffy accounted for the other two. However, Nathan Smith and Matthew Fisher, brought in as the change bowlers, were not quite as consistent as the situation demanded. Shreyas Iyer made a concerted effort to play the ball as late as possible from the back foot, while KL Rahul brought a calming influence to the middle. When Iyer fell, there was still work to do, and India lost a couple more wickets to some ordinary shot selection. Had the rain not arrived, or had play resumed, anything could have happened.

Rain has the final say - India will feel they have got out of jail here. They still needed 22 runs, which looked like a long way off on a wicket where batters struggled throughout. New Zealand had their tails up when the rain intervened, and had they managed to get back on the park, they would have fancied their chances of pulling off a win. But it wasn't to be. The result means the Men in Blue take a 2-0 lead in the series heading into the third ODI in Hamilton.

10.03 am GMT (3.33 pm IST) - The inevitable has happened, and there will be no further play. The umpires have called it off as the rain continues to bucket down in Wellington. So, by the barest of margins, India win by 4 runs (DLS method).

9.59 am GMT (3.29 pm IST) - It's still drizzling in Wellington and it is getting heavier by the minute. So it's safe to say that there's no chance of any further play, as we have reached the cut-off time. We shall have the official update on the match status in a few minutes.