Yusuf Pathan's spectacular ton crushed NZ to their fourth successive defeat in the fourth One Day International at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
The Indian innings got off to an aggressive start.
It was not the in-form Gautam Gambhir (27) but the back-in-the-fold Parthiv Patel (53) who impressed early on.
After hitting Southee past the cover-point for a boundary, the stumper helped himself to two more boundaries in the fifth over by Mills.
The sixth, by Southee, witnessed Patel helping himself to a couple of more boundaries.
There were a slew of boundaries that followed, a few of them being fortunate edges, as India reached 50 runs inside eight overs.
However, Andy McKay struck soon after having Gambhir cut at point. The Indian captain made a 24-ball 27, with four boundaries, and put on 67 runs for the opening wicket with Patel.
Virat Kohli (0) survived two balls before giving a simple catch to Mills at long-leg. Kohli's duck was particularly disappointing conisdering the batsman had made fifty-plus scores in his four previous innings.
And McKay's twin strikes in the 10th over meant suddenly there was a spring in New Zealand's steps. The Indian scoring palpably slowed down thereafter. The innings that had witnessed 11 boundaries in the first 10 overs, saw just two more in the next six before Yuvraj Singh (20) smashed Styris over midwicket for a maximum.
At the drinks break (after 17 overs), India had made 100 for two.
In the first over after resumption, Yuvraj hit a Nathan McCullum delivery straight to How at short midwicket and the home team was back in trouble.
And Rohit Sharma was fortunate to survive off Daniel Vettori , umpire Amish Saheeba ruling the batsman not out when it was a clear caught behind.
However, McCullum struck again in the next over having Patel caught by Kane Williamson. The stumper's 57-ball knock was inclusive of eight hits to the fence.
Sharma celebrated his reprieve with a massive six offf McCullum. And Pathan joined the party with a flat six off Vettori.
The duo made a good recovery for India, putting on an 80-run partnership for the fifth wicket - off just 83 balls - before Southee had Sharma caught by Vettori at mid-off.
Sharma's 48-ball 44 was inclusive of four hits to the fence and one over it.
There was a brief rain interruption. India were 17 behind as per the Duckworth-Lewis method at the stage.
And as play resumed, Pathan smashed the first ball off Vettori for a maximum to bring up his half-century. Another boundary off McCullum in the next over helped him reach his highest ODI score.
Batting powerplay was taken in the 39th over and Pathan welcomed it with a massive six off Mills, his fourth of the innings.
In the next three overs, the Kiwi bowlers cramped the Indian batsmen for room and thereby restricted the flow of runs.
However, in the final over of powerplay Pathan cut loose, helping himself to three boundaries and a maximum. And he was fortunate to survive when McKay dropped him at short fine-leg.
The over cost Mills and New Zeland 21 and ensured India had a productive powerplay - with 44 runs off five overs. It also helped Pathan get close to his hundred.
And he smashed McKay for a maximum in the first ball of the next over to reach his maiden one-day ton.
Earlier, a resolute half century by James Franklin (98 not out) helped New Zealand to a formidable total. The visitors made 315 for seven in their stipulated 50 overs, in what was by far their best batting effort in the series.
And no player deserves more credit for the same than Franklin. For a player sans a significant innings in his 74 matches prior to this tour, the 30-year-old has been a revealation with the bat.
His 69-ball knock was a belligerent one and was inclusive of 12 hits to the fence and three huge ones over it.
It was the second successive half-century for Franklin following his unbeaten 72 at Vadodara. It also happened to be his second career fifty.
Needless to say, it was his highest ODI score
The New Zealand innings was defined by three partnerships: the opening stand of 62 between Brendon McCullum (42) and Martin Guptill(30) that laid the foundation of the innings was backed by a 79-run fourth-wicket stand between Scott Styris 46) and Ross Taylor (44) that helped build on the foundation.
And then there was the fighting unbeaten 64-run partnership for the eighth-wicket by Franklin and Nathan McCullum (13 not out) that helped the visitors finish on a strong note, after they were struggling to bat out their quaota of overs (at 251 for seven) at one stage.
Yusuf Pathan was India's most successful bowler with figures of three for 49.
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