The Black Caps have fallen just short of a series-deciding win against India in a shortened T20 this morning.
The match was shortened to eight overs per team after rain delayed the start of the match at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kiwis won the toss and elected to field first for the match, starting strongly as Mitchell Santner snared openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan on back-to-back deliveries.
The early introduction of Sodhi then brought two more wickets but at a cost with the legbreak spinner giving up a four, two sixes and a wide in his two overs of work.
India finished their innings on 67/5 and ensured Guptill finished a mixed series early with the dangerous opener dismissed like he was in the first T20 for a single-digit total - this time just one run from three balls before Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled him.
The Black Caps bats continued to struggle as Glenn Phillips and Colin de Grandhomme became the only ones to reach double figures.
With de Grandhomme and Santner at the crease for the final over, the Black Caps required 19 runs off six balls.
The Black Caps were given some hope when de Grandhomme slogged the third ball of the over for six, but when the Indian field forced a single out of him one ball later, the pressure of 10 runs off two balls proved too much for Santner.
With the six run win India win the series 2-1.
The Black Caps now return to NZ to prepare for a summer full of matches against the West Indies, Pakistan, England and Australia.
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