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Black Caps limp to set India 274 to level ODI series at Eden Park

February 8, 2020
India celebrate dismissing Tom Latham at Eden Park

A spectacular batting collapse has seen the Black Caps limp to an underwhelming first innings total of 273/8 in the second ODI against India at Eden Park.

Already 1-0 up in the series after a four-wicket victory in Hamilton on Thursday, the Black Caps were sent in first in Auckland, Indian skipper Virat Kohli wanting to chase on the short boundaries on offer.

The Black Caps' opening duo of Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls did their job in setting a platform for the rest of the batsmen to launch from - adding 93 for the first wicket.

Nicholls fell for 41, out LBW to Yuzvendra Chahal, before Tom Blundell and Martin Guptill added 49.

However once Blundell was dismissed for 22, out caught at mid on by Navdeep Saini off the bowling of Shardul Thakur, the wheels well and truly fell off the New Zealand innings.

Guptill would pass 50, his milestone coming from 49 balls with five fours and two sixes, before being run out trying to sneak a single, gone for 79.

Captain Tom Latham would add just seven, before falling to Ravindra Jadeja looking to sweep, a shot he'd played to perfection in his innings of 69 in Hamilton.

Jimmy Neesham became the second batsman of the innings to be run out, Jadeja again starring, his 10 overs of left-arm spin costing just 1/35.

Colin de Grandhomme (five) and Mark Chapman (one) did little to trouble the scorers, the Black Caps falling from 142/1 to 187/7.

Hamilton hero Ross Taylor stood tall as wickets fell around him, tasked with trying to post a competitive total, reaching 50 from 61 balls, adding a 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket with debutant Kyle Jamieson. The pair saw the innings total at least pass 250.

Taylor (73 not out) and Jamieson (25 not out) added an unbeaten partnership of 76, lifting the Black Caps to 273/8 from their 50 overs, India needing to score at a touch under 5.5 an over to level the series.

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