- After 50 overs, New Zealand score 251/5
- After 41.3 overs, New Zealand score 176/5
Kuldeep Yadav produced a beauty first up to dismiss a dangerous Rachin Ravindra as Indian spinners reduced New Zealand to 135 for 4 after 30 overs in the final of the Champions Trophy here on Sunday.
The left-arm wrist spinner (2/25 in 6 overs) then removed opposition's main batter Kane Williamson (11 off 14 balls) with a perfectly flighted delivery which stopped on him, enticing a simple return catch.
Enduring an underwhelming tournament thus far, Kuldeep, India's most prolific ODI spinner in recent years, finally came to the party when it mattered.
Ravindra (37 off 29 balls) took on the Indian pacers, hitting four boundaries and a six to give his team momentum first up as Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya struggled to contain the run flow.
In fact, the opening stand of 57 between Ravindra and Will Young (15 off 23 balls) is the highest by any team against India in the tournament.
India's trump card Varun Chakravarthy (1/21 in 3 overs) got one to straighten and catch Young plumb in-front while Kuldeep executed a perfectly pitched left-arm spinner's googly which breached Ravindra's defence.
He returned to get rid of Williamson.
Tom Latham (14) and Daryl Mitchell (32 batting) added 27 runs in a sedate fourth wicket stand before the left-hander tried to sweep a Ravindra Jadeja delivery on middle stump and missed it completely to be caught plumb in-front.
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