Daily Current Affairs & Trending Topics — Explained Simply
The India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI result was decided by rain, not by a final ball. India beat New Zealand by four runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in a rain-hit match at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday, 7 November 2026, to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. New Zealand were bowled out for just 134 in 41 overs, and India were 113 for 7 in 26 overs when the rain returned and play was finally called off — four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109.
It was a strange, gripping match. India's young pace attack dominated on a helpful, wet pitch, then India's star-studded batting nearly threw the small chase away, and in the end the weather had the final word. The win means India need only one more victory to seal the series, with the third ODI scheduled in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November.
India won the toss and captain Shubman Gill chose to bowl first — a decision the conditions quickly justified. The match had already been reduced to 47 overs a side because of rain, and the ball moved around all day in Wellington.
Gurnoor Brar was the star. The young fast bowler took career-best ODI figures of 4 for 30 and was named Player of the Match. He struck twice in the 20th over, removing Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips cheaply to leave New Zealand reeling at 53 for 5. Auqib Nabi (2 for 31) and Anshul Kamboj (2 for 25) gave him strong support, and Axar Patel also picked up two wickets as New Zealand were bundled out for 134 in 41 overs.
Only two New Zealand batters made a real contribution. Daryl Mitchell scored a fighting 55, and Mitchell Santner added 31, but nobody else crossed 20. It was the second match in a row in which New Zealand's batting had collapsed against India's pace attack — in the first ODI at Auckland, the hosts had been dismissed for 185. The [Deccan Herald's match report](https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/story/sports/cricket/india-vs-new-zealand-2nd-odi-men-in-blue-beat-kiwis-by-4-runs-under-dl-method-4211190) described how India's bowlers, so often reduced to supporting acts in the modern game, "bared their fangs" in Wellington.
Brar's performance was also a personal comeback story. In an ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on 30 September, he had conceded 96 runs in 10 overs. Since then, he has taken seven wickets in two matches in this series and now leads the wicket charts. After the Wellington match, Brar credited senior players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill for helping him through that rough patch. In the first ODI, he had taken 3 for 44 as India restricted New Zealand to 185 and won by five wickets under the DLS method.
Chasing a revised target of 135, India made heavy weather of what should have been a comfortable chase. The top order collapsed early: India were 39 for 3, having lost Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and then slipped further to 47 for 4 when Axar Patel departed for just 7.
That collapse put the spotlight on a tactical call. Axar had been sent in at No. 5, ahead of KL Rahul — a move that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Gill had planned, but which drew criticism when Axar fell cheaply and India wobbled. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar defended the experiment after the match, saying there was "nothing wrong" with trying it and that such moves are part of building a flexible batting order.
KL Rahul steadied the innings when he finally arrived, remaining unbeaten on 26 off 38 balls, and Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 30. Their partnership pulled India back from the brink, but wickets kept falling at the other end. When the rain arrived for the final time, India were 113 for 7 after 26 overs, with Rahul and Auqib Nabi at the crease. The umpires waited, the rain did not relent, and the match was called off with India four runs ahead of the DLS par score.
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method is cricket's standard way of setting a fair target when rain interrupts a limited-overs match. It calculates a "par score" — the score the chasing team should have reached at any given point, based on the overs remaining and wickets in hand — so that a match stopped by weather can still produce a result instead of being abandoned as a no-result.
In Wellington, that calculation was everything. When play stopped, India's par score was 109 after 26 overs with seven wickets down. India were on 113 — exactly four runs ahead. Because the match could not resume before the cut-off time, India were declared winners by four runs under the DLS method. The full [scorecard is available on ESPNcricinfo](https://www.cricinfo.com/series/india-in-new-zealand-2026-27-1539421/new-zealand-vs-india-2nd-odi-1539438/live-cricket-score). Had India been even one run behind par, New Zealand would have won; had the scores been level, the match would have been tied.
This is the second match in a row in the series decided by DLS. In the first ODI at Auckland, India chased a revised target of 143 and won by five wickets, also under the DLS method. Rain has been a constant companion on this tour, and with more rain forecast for Hamilton, the DLS method may yet play a part in the remaining matches.
Beyond the result, three talking points came out of the Wellington match. The first was the Axar Patel experiment. Sending a bowling all-rounder in at No. 5 ahead of KL Rahul was a bold call, and while it failed on the day, Gavaskar's defence suggests the team management sees value in testing batting flexibility before next year's World Cup.
The second was an unusual incident involving Virat Kohli. While India were fielding, a fan threw a small plastic bat onto the field near the boundary, hoping Kohli would sign it. Kohli picked the bat up, threw it back out of the playing area, and appeared visibly displeased, warning fans against throwing objects onto the field. The video of the moment went viral on social media, and it was a reminder that even light-hearted fan behaviour can be dangerous for players on the field. Kohli remains one of world sport's biggest draws, attracting the kind of global attention that follows only a handful of stars — the same sort of spotlight that surrounded [Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement from Portugal duty](https://indiaask.tech/question.php?slug=cristiano-ronaldo-retires-portugal-international-football-explained).
The third was India's growing injury list. All-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series after sustaining a side strain in the opening match at Vadodara. Sundar bowled five overs in that game before leaving the field and later struggled while batting. His absence comes days after Rishabh Pant was sidelined with a similar injury, leaving the team management worried about fitness depth with the World Cup approaching.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0, and one more win in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November, would seal the series with two matches to spare. For a team in transition — with a new captain in Shubman Gill, young fast bowlers leading the attack, and senior players like Kohli and Rohit still anchoring the batting — winning away in difficult conditions is a strong statement.
Captain Gill has said the New Zealand tour is ideal preparation for next year's World Cup, because playing in New Zealand in early November offers conditions similar to those the team will face during the tournament, which is scheduled for October and November. The wet, seaming pitches have tested India's batters, but the bowling attack — led by Brar's seven wickets in two matches — has passed every test so far. Retirements are reshaping international cricket at the same time — [Glenn Maxwell's retirement from international cricket](https://indiaask.tech/question.php?slug=glenn-maxwell-retirement-international-cricket-explained) recently ended one of the most explosive ODI careers of recent years.
For New Zealand, the concern is their batting. Two collapses in two matches — 185 and then 134 — have left them chasing the series. They will need their experienced batters, including Mitchell and Latham, to stand up in Hamilton if they are to keep the series alive.
The India vs New Zealand 2nd ODI result — a four-run win by DLS in Wellington — was narrow, rain-affected and far from comfortable, but it was a win that showed two sides of this Indian team. The young pace attack, led by Gurnoor Brar's career-best 4 for 30, bowled New Zealand out for 134. The batting then nearly undid all that good work before KL Rahul's unbeaten 26 and the DLS calculation saved the day. India lead the series 2-0, and the third ODI in Hamilton on Tuesday, 10 November, is now a chance to wrap the series up early — weather permitting.
India beat New Zealand by four runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the 2nd ODI at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday, 7 November 2026. New Zealand were bowled out for 134 in 41 overs, and India were 113 for 7 in 26 overs when rain ended play. India were four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109, so they were declared winners. India lead the five-match series 2-0.
The DLS method sets a fair par score for the chasing team when rain interrupts a limited-overs match, based on overs remaining and wickets in hand. When play stopped in Wellington, India's par score was 109 after 26 overs with seven wickets down. India were on 113, four runs ahead, so when the match could not resume before the cut-off time, India won by four runs.
Gurnoor Brar, who took career-best ODI figures of 4 for 30 as India bowled New Zealand out for 134. He has now taken seven wickets in two matches in the series and leads the wicket charts.
The third ODI will be played at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. India lead the five-match series 2-0, so one more win would seal the series with two matches to spare.
On 7 November 2026, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced the results of a 65-day nationwide FSSAI crackdown on adulterated and substandard food — and the numbers are striking. In a drive tha…
A handwritten note found in the toilet of a Lucknow-bound IndiGo flight on Saturday evening, 7 November 2026, forced the aircraft to turn back to Bengaluru and triggered a full emergency at Kempegowda International Airpo…
CBSE date sheet 2027: the wait is over for Class 10 and 12 students The CBSE date sheet 2027 is out, and lakhs of students across India finally have the answer to the question they have been asking for weeks: when will t…
No approved answers yet — you can give the first answer.
No approved comments yet.