Rahul Stands Firm Amid Top-Order Collapse as India Beat New Zealand by Four Runs, Take 2-0 Series Lead

India's young pace attack delivered a stunning performance with the ball before KL Rahul kept his composure under pressure to guide the visitors to a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-affected second ODI in Wellington on Thursday. The win gave India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, with the third match scheduled to be played in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest target of 135 in 47 overs, India experienced an unexpected batting collapse on a pitch offering considerable movement and bounce. The visitors were struggling at 113 for seven in 26 overs when rain brought the contest to an early end. However, India were already four runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) par score of 109, handing them a crucial victory.

Rahul remained unbeaten on 26, anchoring the chase after wickets tumbled at regular intervals. He initially took his time, playing 18 dot balls in his first 20 deliveries before finding his rhythm with two well-timed pull shots, including a six. His second six off Jacob Duffy took India past the 100-run mark and strengthened their position.

India's top order, however, struggled against New Zealand's disciplined bowling. Captain Shubman Gill fell for a first-ball duck, while Virat Kohli managed just seven. Rohit Sharma scored 23 before being caught in the slips, and Axar Patel departed for seven. Shreyas Iyer offered some resistance with 30 but was dismissed attempting to negotiate the short ball. Naman Dhir (12) and Anshul Kamboj also fell before rain intervened.

Earlier, India's young fast bowlers had dismantled New Zealand for just 134 in 41 overs, making excellent use of the overcast conditions and assistance from the surface.

Gurnoor Brar led the attack with a career-best four for 30, troubling the hosts with his pace and steep bounce. Auqib Nabi claimed two for 31, while Anshul Kamboj returned impressive figures of two for 25. Arshdeep Singh also maintained pressure with an economical spell of 16 runs in seven overs.

New Zealand were reduced to 29 for three during the opening powerplay, with Nabi and Kamboj striking early. Brar then produced a decisive double-wicket maiden, dismissing captain Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips with successive short-pitched deliveries to leave the hosts reeling at 53 for five.

Daryl Mitchell fought back with 55 off 104 balls, while Mitchell Santner contributed 31 from 38 deliveries. Their 59-run partnership offered some resistance, but India's bowlers never allowed New Zealand to recover fully.

The Indian attack bowled an impressive 176 dot balls, underlining its control throughout the innings. With the pace unit firing and Rahul providing the finishing composure, India secured another win and moved within one victory of clinching the series.