The Blackcaps have blown a golden opportunity to finish the Indian ODI series with some respect, after a monumental comeback from the visitors at Westpac Stadium.
Batting first, India found themselves on the verge of another humiliating performance with the bat at 18/4 - Trent Boult and Matt Henry both taking two early wickets each.
Ambati Rayudu got to the crease, with his team screaming for somebody to step up and that's exactly what he did.
The 33-year-old scored 90 runs in an innings that feature 12 boundaries (eight fours and four sixes).
Vijay Shankar (45), Kedar Jadhav (34) and Hardik Pandya (45) all contributed late to help their side to a respectable total of 252 all out.
Matt Henry was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4/35 off his 10 overs in a statement to the New Zealand selectors before the World Cup in May.
In reply, the Blackcaps were woeful, losing wickets at the wrong times.
The makeshift opening partnership of Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls lasted just three overs, before Nicholls was caught by Jadhav, off the bowling of Mohammed Shami, for just eight.
Munro went for 24, after chopping one onto his stumps off the bowling of Shami.
Captain Kane Williamson (39) battled all day, but was eventually caught on the boundary, off the bowling of Jadhav.
Tom Latham (37) and James Neesham (44) batted well, and looked a chance to bat through to win, but that didn’t eventuate, both players falling before making 50.
The Blackcaps were all out for 217, losing by 35 runs and taking a 4-1 series loss that raised some questions about the World Cup in three months.
The two sides will now look to the thre-match Twenty20 series starting on Wednesday.
Newshub.
Join us at 7:30pm Wednesday for live updates of the Blackcaps vs India T20 at Wellington.
