Since India lost the first ODI, the Men in Blue had to do everything possible to save the series and that’s what they did as India showcased a superlative performance and delivered under pressure to outclass the Kiwis by six wickets in a do-or-die game in Pune.

Shikhar Dhawan (68 off 84 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (64 not out of 92) struck timely half-centuries, enabling the hosts to complete the chase in 46 overs. The series decider will be played in Kanpur on October 29.

Earlier, the hosts did not allow the New Zealand batsmen to settle down as Kumar and Bumrah wreaked havoc by removing their first three batsmen inside the opening seven overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar led India's attack and produced a superb bowling performance that restricted visitors to 230/9 in 50 overs. 

The score was below par and chase was comfortable for India despite losing Rohit Sharma cheaply for the second time in the series. Dhawan was back to his best and played shots all around the ground en route to his 22 ODI fifty. 

Karthik, playing at number four after coming in at five in the previous game, grabbed the opportunity with a ninth ODI fifty. After Dhawan's departure, Karthik and Hardik Pandya (30) forged a 59-run stand to secure the game for their team.