Ross Taylor fired a rapid ton to ace New Zealand's chase of the daunting 348-run target in the ODI series opener against India.
A brief collapse towards the end of the second innings threatened to disrupt the home side's chances of winning the match but Mitchell Santner's solid cameo ensured New Zealand prevailed in the contest.
Taylor was the chief architect of the Black Caps' blazing batting charge, giving them the impetus to meet the requirements of the climbing asking rate.
His unbeaten contribution of 109 meant the hosts were finally able to outgun their opponents following a spate of energy-sapping defeats in the preceding T20I series.
It was stand-in skipper Tom Latham and Taylor's breezy stand for the fourth wicket, which catapulted New Zealand into a dominant position in the game.
The two combined for a 138-run partnership, hammering the Indian bowlers in excess of 10 runs an over. The two batters bullied India's spinners with Latham spearheading the attack by employing powerful sweep shots.
"It's been a long time between drinks," said Latham following his team's four-wicket win.
"It's nice to get over the line and we managed to keep our composure at the end and get there."
Taylor's outstanding performance, meanwhile, was laced with beefy hoicks over midwicket as he smashed four sixes and 10 fours in his undefeated 84-ball stay at the crease.
A neck and neck battle in the first half of New Zealand's chase transformed into a stroll for the home team courtesy of Taylor's regal elegance.
Latham's wicket reignited fears of the Kiwis finding themselves short again - a routine occurrence in the last three T20Is.
However, Santner stood calm and struck two boundaries off Shardul Thakur to shed all hopes of a miraculous Indian comeback.
Taylor's epic century trumped another enterprising ton witnessed earlier in the day as Shreyas Iyer starred with 103 to vault India to 347-4 in 50 overs.
Debutants Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal began brightly with a quick-fire opening stand as captain Virat Kohli conjured a half-century.
The bulk of the scoring was then done by Iyer and KL Rahul, who made 88 from just 64 deliveries.
© Cricingif 2020 All rights reserved
