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 In a match of academic interest, India finally managed a victory on their troubled tour of New Zealand, hanging on desperately for a narrow two-wicket win in the fifth one-day international here today after their top order crumbled once again. Having been blanked out in the Tests and conceded a 0-4 lead in the seven-match one-day series, the Indians just managed to scrape through a modest New Zealand score of 168 all out after Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan survived some tense moments.
Yuvraj Singh, who top-scored with a gritty 54, and Zaheer Khan put on a crucial 44-run partnership for the eighth wicket, which saw the tourists move on from a precarious 116 for seven in the 30th over to within nine runs of their first victory on this tour.
Zaheer Khan, who claimed three vital wickets early in the New Zealand innings, remained unbeaten on a stubborn 34, his career-best one-day score, to be adjudged the man of the match. The much awaited return of Sachin Tendulkar ended in a big disappointment for the Indian team with the maestro becoming a victim of a debatable leg before wicket decision. Tendulkar, playing his first match of the series after sitting out the first four games due to an ankle injury, could not even open his account. After a characteristic belligerent knock of 45 from 40 balls by Virender Sehwag had seen India recover from the early jolts, the tourists made a mess of what looked a comfortable run-chase and were in danger of losing their seventh match in a row when Anil Kumble was out as the seventh wicket in the 30th over. But Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan showed fine application and batted sensibly in the most fruitful partnership of the innings to bring the side within sniffing distance of victory.
 With just nine runs required to break the winless sequence that had seen the Indians lose both the Tests and the first four one-dayers, Yuvraj, who struck eight fours in his 85-ball knock, was out to an unnecessary shot to once again plunge the team into crisis. But Zaheer, who was batting on 26 at that time, kept his calm and, in the company of Javagal Srinath, guided his team past the target in 43.2 overs. Zaheer hit three fours and a six in his shining 42-ball innings. Earlier, the Indians found themselves in deep trouble when skipper Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia and Tendulkar returned to the pavilion with just 25 runs on the board. Ganguly made a bold decision to revert to his usual opening slot but lasted just one ball, flashing at a wide first delivery of the innings from Daryl Tuffey to earn a first-ball duck. Mongia failed yet again, clean bowled by a Shane Bond yorker after making 2 while Tendulkar shook his head in disbelief after being given out leg before wicket by New Zealand umpire Brent Bowden when he had played on to his pads well outside the off-stump.
But Sehwag, the only player on either side to have scored a century on this tour, belted nine magnificent boundaries to neutralise the gains made by New Zealand bowlers. He hit Andre Adams for three fours in an over, which saw India go past the 50-run mark in the ninth over. Sehwag raced into his forties before edging a Scott Styris delivery to captain Stephen Fleming in the slips. Rahul Dravid scored seven runs from 41 deliveries while Mohammad Kaif was out in a familiar fashion, caught in the slips, for just two to derail the Indian innings. Earlier, the New Zealanders also found themselves in a similar soup, losing their first three wickets to Zaheer Khan with just three runs on the board. In a bid to give his players more batting practice, Fleming decided to bat first on winning the toss despite the wicket promising a lot of seam movement. The move backfired as Zaheer Khan bowled a fiery opening spell to give India a sensational start. He claimed Nathan Astle (0), Matthew Sinclair (1) and comeback man Chris Harris (1) in his first ten deliveries to force the Kiwis on the backfoot. Fleming and another comeback man, star all-rounder Chris Cairns, brought some stability to the innings with a slow but sedate 45-run stand for the fourth wicket. Cairns, returning to international cricket after an eight-month lay-off due to injury, was jittery in his early part of the innings and survived some anxious moments before settling down to play some glorious shots.
 Srinath broke through the defences of Cairns in his second spell to crash into the stumps. Cairns made 25 off 32 balls with three fours.
Fleming fell soon after, edging an Ashish Nehra delivery to wicketkeeper Rahul Dravid after scoring 19. Scott Styris and wicketkeeper Brendon McCullam put on 41 runs for the fifth wicket before Nehra claimed his second wicket. Styris, who was hit on his fingers by a rising Sourav Ganguly delivery, played on to his stumps after making 13. But the best of New Zealand batting was yet to come. McCullam played a gritty knock while Andre Adams displayed flamboyance, contributing 35 runs each to the home total. The two put on 48 runs for the seventh wicket before Adams, who smashed three fours and three sixes in his 32-ball knock, miscued a pull shot against Sourav Ganguly to be caught by Mohammad
Kaif.
McCullum, who came to the crease with his side in a very difficult position at 51 for five, batted well, facing 73 balls for his 35 before becoming the eighth man out. He was clean bowled by Anil Kumble who too finished with two wickets.
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