Close New Zealand 254 for 9 (Sinclair 78, Astle 76) beat India 219 all out (Sehwag 108; Mills 3-45, Tuffey 2-35) by 35 runs
Scorecard

A sterling innings of 108 from Virender Sehwag went in vain as New Zealand's superior fielding effort and discipline with the ball won the day in the second ODI, at McLean Park. A 35-run victory gave New Zealand a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.

In a tour dominated by dodgy pitches and low scores, both teams were finally given a track on which the batsmen had a chance to prosper. Nathan Astle (76) and Craig Spearman (78) made the most of that opportunity for New Zealand, putting together a 136-run second-wicket partnership which formed the backbone of their total of 254.

Then, docked two overs for their slow over-rate, India fought on, thanks primarily to Sehwag's controlled innings. For the third time in three matches, India had a sniff at victory, but at the crunch, New Zealand held their nerve much better than the Indians. At 182 for 4, with Sehwag and Mohammad Kaif going strong, India had every reason to believe they would turn the corner in a disappointing tour.

Then, requiring only 73 required from 72 balls with six wickets in hand, Kaif steered one from Daryl Tuffey to Brendon McCullum for 24 (182 for 5). Next over, that dismissal mode was repeated, and this time Sanjay Bangar was the victim (187 for 6).

Sehwag had carried on gamely through the clutch of wickets, but an exceptional piece of fielding by Tuffey hammered in the crucial nail in the Indian coffin. Having bowled superbly through 9.5 overs, Tuffey now chose the final delivery of his 10th to show his skill in the field. Harbhajan Singh ran for a quick single after dropping the ball at his feet; Tuffey sprinted in, and his diving, underarm throw found Sehwag short of the crease (204 for 7). The rest of the batsmen never looked like achieving the target.

Earlier, the Indian innings progressed in fits and starts after Sourav Ganguly's third-ball duck. VVS Laxman (20 off 39 balls) creamed a few boundaries, but India were pegged back by their inability to run their singles. Fleming sensed this, keeping fielders inside the ring throughout the innings, and though it resulted in a few boundaries, it was a gamble which eventually paid off.

Rahul Dravid's miserable day in the field was compounded when he was stranded mid-pitch following a misunderstanding with Sehwag (104 for 3), while Yuvraj Singh's second-ball sashay down the pitch was undoubtedly the low-point of India's run-chase.

Sehwag's innings was different from some of his earlier blitzes in the way that he paced his innings. His first fifty took 74 balls, but his next 58 took just 45 as he launched into a savage onslaught. Daniel Vettori felt it the most, going for 13 in one over, while Jacob Oram was then clubbed over point for a six. The Man-of-the-Match award was well deserved; unfortunately, it wasn't enough to snatch a win.

New Zealand's total of 254 was set up by Astle and Sinclair. They came together in the third over, after Stephen Fleming's hopeless attempt at a leg-side heave off Javagal Srinath found Kaif at cover (10 for 1). India might have got a breakthrough even before that, when Astle played on to a no ball from Zaheer Khan.

Both batsmen - especially Astle - got away with plenty of play-and-misses early on. Srinath mixed the indippers cleverly with the straighter ones and his first-spell figures of 6-0-14-1 did him little justice.

Wisely, both batsmen saw off that fiery spell, and then reaped the benefits. Astle settled down to strike some meaty blows in between his swishes with thin air, while Sinclair started quietly, but then grew in stature, striking some splendid cover-drives and pulls.

The near-misses continued though. Sinclair was twice reprieved by Dravid off Harbhajan, and when Dravid did grab a catch as Sinclair nicked a pull, Asoka de Silva extended his arms to signal a wide.

The frustration told on the Indians, as the fielding became increasingly sloppy. Srinath's direct hit late in the innings to dismiss Oram, and some superb saves at gully by Yuvraj, were exceptions in a dismal effort in the field. Ashish Nehra, Zaheer and Harbhajan were all guilty of slackness in the outfield, while Dravid had a shocker, twice letting through deliveries for four byes. The smile on Ganguly's visage - so prominent when he called correctly in the morning - soon turned into a perpetual frown as India gave away at least 15 runs through their listlessness.

Astle's luck finally ran out, and he holed out to Zaheer at deep midwicket off Ganguly (146 for 2), while Sinclair's attempted reverse-sweep off Harbhajan was smartly snapped up by Dravid - a rare success on the field for him. The loss of five wickets in the last 6.2 overs ensured that a score which should have been nearer 270 finished on 254. Ultimately, it was enough to seal a win.

S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.

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