Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel starred as India beat New Zealand by 73 runs in Kolkata on Sunday to win the T20I series 3-0.

Spinner Patel triggered the New Zealand batting collapse in the third over with two wickets to push the steep 185 to win target beyond their reach.

Opener Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman were two of Patel’s three wickets in the impressive 3-9 spell.

India, playing under their new coach Rahul Dravid and the new T20I captain Sharma, clinched the three-match series in Ranchi on Friday.

Both teams rested several regular players for the series that began only three days after the Black Caps lost to Australia in the T20 World Cup final.

Martin Guptill was the only Kiwi batsman to put up a fight on Sunday, scoring 51 runs off 36 balls before falling to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

Chahal, making his national comeback, had a forgettable start. After two expensive overs, he found his groove in the third with Guptill’s wicket to finish with a respectable 1-26.

Seamer Harshal Patel, selected for the national team after a breakthrough IPL season, impressed with a 2-26 spell.

Earlier, Patel also came to India’s rescue with a late order cameo, scoring 18 off 11 along with Chahar, who smashed 21 off eight.

Sharma top-scored for India, smashing 56 off 31 as the hosts posted 184-7.

Rookie all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, also an IPL breakout star, impressed with 1-12 in his first outing as a bowler for India.

The stand-in skipper for New Zealand, Mitchell Santner, was his team’s most impressive bowler with 3-27.

© Agence France-Presse