India secured a convincing 8-wicket win over New Zealand in Raipur this past Saturday. By dominating the second ODI, the Men in Blue wrapped up the three-game series with a 2-0 scoreline. The victory was powered by Mohammed Shami, whose aggressive bowling earned him three wickets and kept New Zealand to a low total of 108. Rohit Sharma then steered India home with a steady 51, making the target look easy.
India registered a dominating 8-wicket win over New Zealand in the second ODI in Raipur on Saturday. Men in blue reigned supreme in the series decider and hammered the Black Caps to seal the three-match series 2-0. Indian senior pacer Mohammed Shami was in red-hot form as his three-wicket haul helped India to bowl out the visitors for a below-par 108. India skipper Rohit Sharma made the chase very easy with a fine knock of 51.
The loss was a bitter pill for New Zealand, who plummeted from the top of the ICC Men’s ODI rankings. After starting the series as the world number one with 115 points, they were surpassed by England. India, on the other hand, capitalized on the win to climb into third place, reaching 113 rating points.
Prior to this match, India sat in fourth place with 111 points. Now, there is a three-way tie between England, New Zealand, and India, all sitting on 113 points. A victory in the third ODI would allow the Men in Blue to overtake England and seize the number one position globally.
The series finale takes place this Tuesday, January 24, at Indore's Holkar Stadium. India is now chasing a historic achievement: becoming number one across all three formats. While they already lead in T20Is and are second in Tests, they trail Australia (the Test leaders with 126 points) by 11 points. The battle for Test supremacy continues when India faces Australia in a highly anticipated four-match series starting February 9.