BANGALORE, India, Sept 3: In-form batsmen Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni combined for a 96-run unbroken stand to help India defeat New Zealand by five wickets on the fourth day of the second test to complete a 2-0 series victory.
Set a target of 261, Kohli and Dhoni put the chase back on track after India had slipped from 155-2 to 166-5 after tea when they lost Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara and Suresh Raina in quick succession.[break]
Kohli, who had scored 103 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 51 with nine fours while Dhoni followed his first innings 62 with 48 not out that comprised three fours and two sixes.
The pair worked the ball around to build the partnership but then came up with a flurry of runs to finish the match in style.
Kohli cracked three fours off pace bowler Tim Southee and Dhoni smashed a four and a six off spinner Jeetan Patel as India got its last 22 runs in the space of seven deliveries to move quickly to 262-5 and ensure the match did not go to the fifth day.
Southee, who became the first New Zealand bowler to take seven wickets in a test innings in India during the first innings, got a breakthrough in the second innings that led to India being rattled midway into the chase.
Southee bowled Tendulkar through bat and pad for 27 just when India seemed to be sailing along. Tendulkar, who was bowled in a similar manner to incoming deliveries in his previous two dismissals in this series as well, had just settled in for his knock of 27 and added 69 for the third wicket with Pujara.
Patel then removed a well-set Pujara for 48. Pujara, who batted patiently for 107 deliveries, was out bat-pad to a lovely catch by Daniel Flynn at short-leg, who ran back to complete a one-handed diving effort.
The off-spinner also got rid of left-hander Raina, who jumped out after failing to get off the mark for nine deliveries but was bowled comprehensively.
Patel had also got the initial breakthrough earlier in the day when he removed a rampaging Virender Sehwag who threatened to make the chase a brief affair in the company of opening partner Gautam Gambhir.
Sehwag scored 38 off 33 balls with seven fours and a six, while Gambhir made 34 off 58 balls with seven fours in what was their first half-century partnership in 12 test innings.
Sehwag hit three fours off an over from pace bowler Doug Bracewell and had looked set to continue in the same vein when he was bowled by Patel. After hitting Patel for a six over long-off and a four through point earlier in the over, he stepped out but missed the line of the ball.
Gambhir, who took consecutive fours off seamers Trent Boult and Bracewell, was caught by Ross Taylor at first slip while chasing an outswinger from Boult.
Earlier, New Zealand was bowled out for 248 in the morning session, scoring 16 runs in 4.2 overs after resuming at its overnight score of 232-9.
Patel was dismissed for 22 by Zaheer Khan, caught behind by Dhoni, while Boult finished the innings on 4 not out.
India won the first test in Hyderabad by an innings and 115 runs.
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