Kohli, Dhoni star in India Test series win

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.

New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor pressed Patel into the attack in the 12th over after pacemen Trent Boult, Southee and Doug Bracewell had failed to provide the breakthrough in overcast conditions.

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.

India 438, limit NZ to 106/5 on Day 2

An expected tale once again unfolded in Hyderabad when the Indian spinners stamped their supremacy after their batsmen posted a good score on a worn-out Uppal wicket on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.

After an impressive 159 by Cheteshwar Pujara and solid half-centuries by MS Dhoni (73) and Virat Kohli (58) that took India's first innings total to 438, it was the duo of Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin who reveled in the spin-friendly conditions, picking up two and three wickets respectively.

New Zealand ended the day at 106 for 5, still 332 runs shy of the India’s total, with James Franklin (31) and Kruger van Wyk (0) at the wicket. The visitors, who began their innings after tea, lost wickets in a heap as none of their batsmen could gauge the nature of the pitch to match the craft of the Indian spinners.

Brendon McCullum (22) paid the price of being ultra-aggressive, throwing his wicket away in the very first over bowled by the Indian spinners. Ojha drew McCullum forward, making him play a rash stroke on the up and was taken neatly by Virat Kohli in the covers. It was the first of the three catches that Kohli took.

Before Martin Guptill (2) could understand how much the wicket is turning, he was caught by Kohli at backward short leg while trying to defend a tossed-up delivery on the middle and leg from Ashwin. Ross Taylor (2) was also caught at the same place but to a more difficult attempt by Kohli, who dived full length after Taylor tried to flick it. It was referred to the TV umpire who gave him out after watching the replays from every possible angle. Daniel Flynn played across the line and was trapped lbw by a flatter delivery by Ashwin.

Kane Williamson (32) and Franklin, although scoring runs at a snail’s pace, prevented India taking any more wicket until Ojha struck again with Williamson edging a fuller one to Virender Sehwag at first slip.

Earlier, after setting up a launch pad for a big score without losing any wickets in the morning session, the Indian batsmen faltered in their approach in the afternoon and lost five wickets in the second session to get all out for 438.

Jeetan Patel got rewards for his persistence as he tempted the settled Indian batsmen, Pujara (159) and Dhoni (73), to play false strokes, thus picking up crucial wickets.

Pujara's impressive knock ended when his miscued hoick off Jeetan Patel found Franklin who back-pedalled from mid-on to take a good catch. Dhoni too didn't last long as his attempt to clear mid-off failed as Doug Bracewell leaped up to snap a fine catch.

Zaheer Khan got out to a snorter from Trent Boult whose length delivery on the off stump got a top edge from Zaheer's bat before being taken neatly by the diving van Wyk behind the wickets.

Ashwin, meanwhile, looked extremely confident, showing the technique and temperament of a top-order batsman. He was nicely behind the line against the pacers and hit the offspinner Patel for runs through the covers. But his vigil ended when he came down the track but missed a full-length delivery from Patel and was stumped for 37.

Umesh Yadav was the last man to go when he got run out to an unnecessary single attempted by Ojha.