Nabi and Brar strike twice each as New Zealand stall on a two-paced Wellington pitch

New Zealand have been pinned to 110 for 5 after 34 overs of a rain-shortened second ODI in Wellington, with Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar taking two wickets each

Shubman Gill won the toss and sent New Zealand in on a surface that had spent most of the week under covers, and India's seamers had the hosts 23 for 3 inside nine overs. The pitch was two-paced from the first ball, and the ball moved enough off the seam to make driving a gamble.

The breakthrough belonged to Auqib Nabi, who removed Tim Seifert for a five-ball duck in the second over for the first international wicket of his career. Will Young edged him behind four overs later, and Anshul Kamboj bowled Henry Nicholls through the gate to leave the innings in pieces.

Gurnoor Brar then struck twice in four balls in the 20th over to reduce New Zealand to 53 for 5. Daryl Mitchell and captain Mitchell Santner have since rebuilt in near silence, adding 57 for the sixth wicket at barely four an over.

Nabi off the mark at last

Nabi was handed his India cap against West Indies in Guwahati on 30 September and had gone wicketless in his outings since, including the series opener in Auckland. The wait ended with a full ball outside off that Seifert chipped straight to Kamboj at mid-on.

The Jammu and Kashmir seamer arrived in the side on the back of a remarkable domestic season. He took 60 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, the most by any bowler, and was named player of the tournament as J&K won the title for the first time.

Delhi Capitals paid ₹8.40 crore for him at the 2026 IPL auction, and India picked him here ahead of Mohammed Siraj, who was left out of the eleven.

Brar's double strike with the short ball

Brar's second spell changed the shape of the innings. Tom Latham top-edged a pull to Naman Dhir at deep square leg for 7, and four balls later Glenn Phillips fell for a four-ball duck, a leading edge looping to Kamboj.

Both wickets came from balls dug into a pitch that was holding, and New Zealand's middle order had no answer to the bounce. The two dismissals cost nothing: the score was 53 when Latham fell and 53 when Phillips followed.

Rain sets the terms

The toss was delayed well past the scheduled 3pm local start, with repeated inspections of a wet outfield before play finally began an hour late. Six overs were lost, leaving each side 47 overs.

Under the revised conditions two bowlers may send down ten overs and the rest nine, with the powerplays recast across overs 1-10, 11-38 and 39-47.

Both teams had already lost their build-up. Friday's scheduled sessions at the Basin Reserve were washed out, with New Zealand moving indoors and India cancelling altogether.

Mitchell and Santner dig in

With half the side gone before the halfway mark, Daryl Mitchell has played the anchor, refusing the risk that removed everyone above him. Santner has given him what support the situation allows.

India have not been flawless. Gill put down Mitchell at mid-off when New Zealand were 47 for 3, a chance that would have ended the innings as a contest.

The stand has kept New Zealand alive without ever threatening to take the game away. At 110 for 5 with 13 overs left, anything beyond 180 would need a late assault from Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson.

India close on a 2-0 lead

India lead the series 1-0 after a five-wicket win in Auckland on 4 November, a match also cut about by the weather. New Zealand made 185 there, Arshdeep Singh taking four wickets, and India's revised target of 143 in 32 overs was knocked off in 22.4.

Virat Kohli made 74 off 51 in that chase and is yet to bat here. New Zealand are without Devon Conway, who is sidelined with concussion, a loss that has left their top order noticeably thin.

Another win would put India two clear and leave New Zealand needing to win the rest.

At 34 overs: New Zealand 110 for 5 from 34 of their 47 overs, Mitchell and Santner unbeaten, after Nabi and Brar took two wickets apiece.