KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma scored half-centuries to guide India to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi on Friday. With the win, the Men in Blue have sealed the three-match series. 

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The Indian openers stitched a 117-run stand before Kiwi skipper Tim Southee dismissed them both. Rahul scored 65 runs off 49 balls with the help of six boundaries and two sixes while his partner Rohit managed 58 runs. Chasing a modest 154 under heavy dew condition, the Indian camp crossed the line with 16 balls to spare. 

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In the first innings, India, riding on a tight bowling display by Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, managed to cap New Zealand’s explosive start to 153 for six.

Martin Guptill (31 off 15 balls) and Daryl Mitchell (31 off 28 balls) took the Indian pacers to the cleaners after being put into bat. The innings saw Guptill (3231 runs) surpass star India Test skipper Virat Kohli (3227) as the leading run-getter in T20 Internationals.

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Cruising at 64 for one in the powerplay, the Kiwis suddenly hit a roadblock in the crucial middle overs and managed just 64 runs from 7 to 16 overs with Ashwin (1/19) and Axar (1/26) dominating the New Zealand batters in the dew-laden condition.

Harshal Patel was named the player of the match for picking two wickets, giving 25 runs, in his four-over quota. 

The third and final T20I is scheduled to be played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.