Former Indian cricketer and commentator Murali Kartik rued that the rain didn’t allow the second ODI to be completed between India National Cricket Team and the New Zealand National Cricket Team at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, November 7.

India managed to beat New Zealand by four runs via the DLS method in a rain-hit second ODI in Wellington on Saturday. With this win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.

However, Kartik believes that both teams had a chance of winning the second ODI if the weather had allowed it to continue. India were just 22 runs away from the target, but with only three wickets left, the finish could have gone either way in Wellington.

India beat New Zealand by 4 runs in rain-hit Wellington ODI, take unassailable 2-0 lead

India National Cricket Team captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first under cloudy conditions. New Zealand struggled from the start and lost three wickets for just 29 runs in the powerplay. Gurnoor Brar was the star with the ball, taking a career-best 4/30.

Anshul Kamboj, Axar Patel, and Auqib Nabi picked up two wickets each. Daryl Mitchell was the only New Zealand batter to put up a strong fight, scoring 55 off 104 balls. The hosts were eventually bowled out for 134 in 41 overs against India in the second ODI.

However, the chase was not easy for the Men in Blue either, as the batters also found it difficult to handle the New Zealand bowling attack. Jacob Duffy dismissed Gill for a golden duck in the second over before sending Virat Kohli back for just seven runs. Kyle Jamieson removed Rohit Sharma, who scored 23 off 28 balls, while Shreyas Iyer made 30 before getting caught behind.

India were 113/7 after 26 overs when rain stopped the match. KL Rahul was batting on 26, while Auqib Nabi was on one. India needed another 22 runs to reach the target of 135 but were four runs ahead of the DLS par score of 109. The heavy rain forced the official to end the match and announce the winner through the DLS method.

Murali Kartik calls India's win hard-fought in Wellington

Well, Murali Kartik felt India would be happy to take the win because the result was not certain at that stage. With only three wickets remaining and Rahul being the only recognized batter, New Zealand still had a chance if the match had continued.

Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz, “Whether it was DLS or no DLS, it was a close one; India needed 22 runs more, and it could have gone either way. It's just that with three wickets in hand after that shot from Anshul Kamboj, and with only KL Rahul being there, it could have gone anywhere. So, it has been a hard-fought victory for India; they will be happy.”

Murali Kartik highlights India's repeated mistake

The former Indian spinner also praised the touring bowlers for restricting the hosts to such a low score. Kartik pointed out that Indian batters had once again failed to build partnerships and lost wickets at regular intervals.

The commentator added, “Certain patterns have repeated themselves in terms of batters losing their way through, but they will be super happy that the bowlers restricted New Zealand to only that much. They will take the 2-0 and move on.”