Unstoppable India clinch 3-0 series win

New Zealand lose their eighth consecutive ODI.

VADODARA: Gautam Gambhir hit a second successive century as India crushed New Zealand by nine wickets in the third One-Day International (ODI) to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

The stand-in skipper hammered 16 fours in his unbeaten 126 balls to help his side overhaul New Zealand’s 224 for nine with 10.3 overs. Gambhir, leading the side in place of rested regular captain MS Dhoni, had also starred in India’s eight-wicket win in the second ODI, making an unbeaten 138 off 116 balls.

Gambhir carried his form in to the third game, adding 115 runs for the opening wicket with Murali Vijay (30) and another 114 for the next with Virat Kohli (63 not out).

Kohli continued to torment the bowlers with a breezy 70-ball knock as New Zealand slumped to their eighth ODI defeat in a row. The fourth game of the five-match series will be played in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2010.