India fail again against Black Caps

WELLINGTON, Jan 31 (AFP): A Ross Taylor-inspired New Zealand crushed India by 87 runs in the fifth and final one-day international in Wellington Friday to extend the tourists' miserable run against the Black Caps.
India could manage only 216 in reply to New Zealand's 303 for five, slumping to a 4-0 series loss despite a battling 82 from Virat Kohli.
Veteran batsman Taylor blazed his second successive century to set India the imposing run chase before seamer Matt Henry skittled the world champions' top order in a dream debut, claiming four for 38.
The result completes New Zealand's best one-day winning streak against India in 33 years and provides a huge psychological boost ahead of a two-Test series next month.
Meanwhile, India's failure to perform against modest opposition has seen them ousted from top spot in the one-day rankings by Australia, and will raise questions about their form away from home ahead of next year's World Cup.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the result was disappointing but showed opposition teams were targeting India because of their recent success.
"It's a phase that we're going through but what will be crucial is what kind of solutions we have got, how we plan to get out of it," he said, adding that he was determined to stay positive despite the defeat.
New Zealand 303 for 5 (Taylor 102, Williamson 88) beat India 216 (Kohli 82, Dhoni 47, Henry 4-38) by 87 runs