Rain took center stage again, wiping out the final ODI of the series in Christchurch after 18 overs from New Zealand's chase to India's 219. Thanks to Finn Allen's 54 for 57 balls and Devon Conway's 38 not out on 51 balls, New Zealand had a 104-1 lead over the DLS goal when the players were taken off the field at Hagley Oval. But as the 20 over score had not been reached the match ended in a no-result to give New Zealand a 1–0 victory. It was the fourth of the six matches in the short white ball series without result. India having previously won the three match T20I series 1-0.
Previously, New Zealand had won the coin toss, fielded first, and their seamers taking advantage of all assists and surface conditions, sacked India for 219. Adam Milne and Daryl Mitchell each picked up three wickets for repel India. And without Washington Sundar's first half-century ODI - after Shreyas Iyers 49 from No. 3 - India would have grappled to reach 200.
Arshdeep Singh, playing second from the chase, threw a maiden where he confused Devon Conway by moving the ball one way or the other. But Allen couldn't be held back on the other end and little by little Conway launched in too, even hitting all fours into a Deepak Chahar over. It helped New Zealand go 59 unbeaten in ten overs.
Rain was forecast for the match as indicated in our preview and a drizzle delayed the start of the match by ten minutes. After that, Tim Southee and Matt Henry largely kept openers Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill quiet. This despite Dhawan frequently using his feet to dash down the field to deflect fast bowlers. His first two boundaries which a 4-over point cover and a 6-over long, both came after accelerating down the track. But after ten overs, he had only 25 out of 36 balls for his adventures.
When Deepak Hooda fell to 149 with India, they were in danger of falling well below the 200 point mark. But Washington showed his batting skills for the second time in the series after his 16 unbeaten 37 ball in the first ODI and added some good tail runs before becoming the last man to fall.
The total looked well below average and New Zealand looked good to hunt. However, the rain has meant that we'll never know if an unexpected outcome is in store.
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