India outplayed New Zealand in all three departments of the game in the fifth and final match of recently concluded One Day International (ODI) series and sealed the series 3-2.
India, after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, put 269 on the board in their quota of 50 overs. There was no individual big score other than Rohit Sharma’s 70 but the middle-order chipped in with some good performances, and put a decent score.
New Zealand, in their response, bundled out for just 79 runs as India’s leg-spinner Amit Mishra took 5 wickets in 6 overs and broke the back of New Zealand’s batting unit.
VIDEO: India’s winning moment in the fifth ODI
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Earlier, New Zealand levelled the series 2-2 at JSCA in Ranchi. The fifth game in Vizag was the decider and India turned out out to be too strong for the Blackcaps on the day. Rohit Sharma, who was under a lot of pressure after failing to put a good score in the first four ODIs, batted aggressively right from the start and scored 70 crucial runs off just 65 balls.
Amit Mishra, who has been playing under the shadow of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, was awarded man of the match for his brilliant performance and he also bagged the man of the series award for being the highest wicket-taker in the series.
Featured image source: Indian Cricket Team