Shardul’s attempt to bounce out Devon Conway backfired twice in the 26th over.
Chasing 386 to win, the Kiwis threatened to run away with the game when opener Devon Conway slammed a century off just 71 balls.
After losing opening partner Finn Allen for a two-ball duck, Conway put pressure back on India with a counter-attacking 106-run stand with Henry Nicholls, who scored 42 off 42 balls.
While Kuldeep Yadav broke the partnership by dismissing Nicholls, Conway held the one firmly and added 78 runs for the third wicket with Daryl Mitchell. Just when it seemed that the visitors will take the game away from India, Shardul Thakur picked two wickets on successive deliveries, dismissing Mitchell (24) and Tom Latham (0) to bring the home team back in the contest.
Despite Shardul providing India with a couple of wickets in the 26th over, skipper Rohit Sharma was not impressed with the bowling all-rounder as his last two deliveries were smashed for boundaries by Conway.
Shardul’s attempt to bounce out Devon Conway backfired twice as the southpaw pulled him for back-to-back boundaries, which left the Indian captain furious.
Rohit walked up to Shardul and talked to him animatedly for those two deliveries.
Here’s the video:
Devon Conway was eventually dismissed by Umran Malik in the 32nd over for 138 off 100 balls with 12 fours and 8 sixes. His dismissal also trigged a collapse as New Zealand’s innings folded for 295 in 41.2 overs.
Shardul Thakur was the stand-out bowler for India, claiming three wickets by conceding 45 runs in his 6 overs. He deservedly earned the Player of the Match award for his stunning spell.
With this thumping 90-run victory, the Men in Blue didn’t only complete a 3-0 whitewash but also displaced New Zealand from the top spot in the ICC ODI team rankings.