By IANS,
Aucklan : Looking for a morale boosting win, New Zealand bowled out India for a paltry 149 in 36.3 overs in the fifth and last One-day International at Eden Park here Saturday.
Having lost the series 3-0, New Zealand’s bowlers sparkled for the first time to salvage some pride in a match that was reduced to 43 overs per side due to a delayed start following rain showers.
The famed Indian batting line-up failed after Virender Sehwag (40) provided another blazing start.
Rohit Sharma was the top scorer and remained unbeaten on 43. Yuvraj Singh (11) was the third batsman to get to double figures.
Part-timer bowler Jesse Ryder took 3-29 from nine overs while Jacob Oram, Iain O’Brien and Kyle Mills shared five wickets.
Mills provided the first breakthrough by getting rid of Gautam Gambhir (5) in the fifth over while Oram removed Sehwag at a time when the right-handed batsman was looking dangerous.
Sehwag faced only 27 balls and hit three fours and three sixes before he holed out to Brendon McCullum in the deep off Mills. Sehwag’s departure helped New Zealand to pull back things as Indian wickets kept on tumbling like nine pins.
Rohit, playing his second match in the series as a replacement for the injured Sachin Tendulkar, kept the scoreboard ticking but ran out of partners.