BANGALORE - India survived a mini collapse to sweep the series against a fighting New Zealand with a five-wicket victory on the penultimate day of the second and final Test in Bangalore on Monday.
The hosts slipped from 152-2 to 166-5 before achieving their 261-run target in the final session, thanks to a 96-run stand between man-of-the-match Virat Kohli (51 not out) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (48 not out) under pressure. India won the opening Test by an innings and 115 runs in Hyderabad.
New Zealand fought well as they twice neutralised India’s advantage to storm back into the match on a good pitch before Dhoni and Kohli steered their team home, much to the delight of the nearly 15,000 spectators.
The Indian captain finished the match with a six over mid-wicket off off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who took three wickets. Dhoni hit two sixes and three fours, while Kohli cracked nine fours. India were 77 without loss after brisk knocks from Virender Sehwag (38) and Gautam Gambhir (34) and then 152-2 following a 69-run stand between Cheteshwar Pujara (48) and Sachin Tendulkar (27) before New Zealand struck back.
The tourists came back strongly after tea, which was taken early due to rain, as they dismissed well-set Pujara, Tendulkar and Suresh Raina (0) in the space of 14 runs. The 39-year-old Tendulkar was bowled for a third successive innings in the series, this time by fast bowler Tim Southee, after hitting five fours in his 34-ball knock.
The world’s leading scorer in both Test and one-day cricket with an unprecedented 100 international centuries, Tendulkar finished the series without a half-century in three innings. Patel had Pujara caught by Daniel Flynn, who ran backwards from forward short-leg to take a superb diving catch, and then bowled Raina.
Tendulkar and Pujara steadied the innings after Sehwag and Gambhir had fallen in the morning in the space of six runs. Pujara, who scored a solid 159 in the first Test, was on 37 when he survived a stumping chance off Patel as wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum failed to collect the ball.
McCullum kept wicket in place of Kruger van Wyk, who was injured after being struck on the arm by a delivery from paceman Umesh Yadav while batting on Sunday.
Sehwag lofted Patel over long-off, the first six of the innings, and then cut him for a four before falling in the same over. He stepped out to try another big shot, but missed the line and was bowled. He smashed one six and seven fours in his 33-ball knock.
Gambhir went for his shots early in the innings, hitting Boult and Bracewell each for two successive fours before falling to a loose shot. He was caught by Taylor at first slip off Boult after hitting seven fours in his 58-ball knock. New Zealand were earlier bowled out for 248 in their second innings, adding 16 runs to their overnight total of 232-9.
Patel (22), the last man out, looked unhappy with the decision when given caught behind off left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, as the TV replays suggested he had missed the ball. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin finished with 5-69, his third five-wicket haul in four innings against New Zealand. He was named man of the series.

     scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND 1ST INNINGS: 365
INDIA 1ST INNINGS: 353
NEW ZEALAND 2ND INNINGS:
(OVERNIGHT: 232-9):
B McCullum c Dhoni b Yadav    23
M Guptill b Yadav    7
K Williamson c Sehwag b Ashwin    13
R Taylor lbw b Ojha    35
D Flynn c Sehwag b Ashwin    31
J Franklin st Dhoni b Ashwin    41
K van Wyk lbw b Ashwin    31
D Bracewell lbw b Ojha    22
T Southee b Ashwin    2
J Patel c Dhoni b Zaheer    22
T Boult not out    4
EXTRAS: (b4, lb12, w1)    17
TOTAL: (all out; 73.2 overs)    248
FOW: 1-30, 2-31, 3-69, 4-111, 5-140, 6-195, 7-216, 8-222, 9-222, 10-248
BOWLING: Zaheer 14.2-2-46-1, Yadav 15-0-68-2, Ojha 21-6-49-2, Ashwin 22-1-69-5, Raina 1-1-0-0.
INDIA 2ND INNINGS:
G Gambhir c Taylor b Boult    34
V Sehwag b Patel    38
C Pujara c Flynn b Patel    48
S Tendulkar b Southee    27
V Kohli not out    51
S Raina b Patel    0
MS Dhoni not out    48
EXTRAS: (b4, lb6, nb1, w5)    16
TOTAL: (for 5 wkts; 63.2 overs)    262
FOW: 1-77, 2-83, 3-152, 4-158, 5-166
BOWLING: Boult 16-4-64-1, Southee 18-3-68-1, Bracewell 14-3-52-0, Patel 15.2-3-68-3.
MAN OF THE MATCH: V Kohli (IND)
MAN OF THE SERIES: R Ashwin (IND)
TOSS: New Zealand
UMPIRES: Ian Gould (ENG) and Steve Davis (AUS)
TV UMPIRE: Sudhir Asnani (IND)
MATCH REFEREE: Chris Broad (ENG)