Mohammed Shami was adjudged man-of-the-match for his bowling performance in the 3rd ODI (AP Photo)

India (245/3) beat New Zealand (243) by 7 wickets to take an unbeatable 3-0 series lead. Rohit (62), Kohli (60), Rayudu (40*). Scorecard

India made light work of the 244-run chase and registered a comfortable 7-wicket win to bag the five-match series with an unbeatable 3-0 lead against New Zealand on Monday.

The win made Kohli the first Indian captain to win back-to-back ODI series in Australia and New Zealand.

It was yet another cakewalk for the star-studded Indian batting lineup after the bowlers put in a outstanding performance to bowl New Zealand out for 243 in 49 overs after losing the toss.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli then stitched together a 113-run partnership for the second wicket to lay the foundation for the run chase.

The vice-captain top-scored with 62 while the skipper scored 60 before Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik took India over the line with an unbeaten 77-run stand for the third wicket. Rayudu remained unbeaten on 40 while Karthik scored 38 not out.

The match was nicely set up for the Indian team by the bowlers led by Mohammed Shami, who finished with 3 wickets for 41 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal bagged a couple of wickets each.

Shami was adjudged man-of-the-match for his bowling performance. He had skipper Kohli for company as his translator at the presentation but he didn't need any help as it turns out.

The Bengal pacer, who had won the award in the first game as well, needed Kohli's help in Napier where he answered the questions in Hindi which the Indian captain translated in English for the viewers.

But this time Shami decided to go for it and gave it his best shot. "It's really difficult to bowl against the wind. One comes with the wind and the other is against the wind. It is difficult but not too hard. Bhuvi at the other end was also a great help. Sticking to areas where we want to bowl is the key," Shami said.

Innings Break!



New Zealand all out for 243 in 49 overs (Shami 3/41, Hardik 2/45)



The dinner break has been reduced to 30 minutes for today's game



Scorecard - https://t.co/0SXKeJvZSs #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/lukAdaoZwc BCCI (@BCCI) January 28, 2019

Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull, who was conducting the presentation ceremony, was so impressed with Shami's effort that he complimented him in Hindi after the interview.

"Your English bahut acha, congratulations," Doull told Shami as Kohli burst out laughing.

The win was Kohli's 47th as ODI captain which is the second most for a skipper after 63 matches. Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd and ex-Australia skipper Ricky Ponting are ahead with 50 wins.

"Amazing. Three clinical games for us. Couldn't have asked for a better performance after the first two clinical games. The relentlessness of the side is something that really pleases me.

"We really enjoy ourselves and even at the end when Rayudu and Karthik were batting, we were sitting in the change room and cheering for every run. That's how the environment in the dressing room is. The guys believe in their skills and they are showing it on the field," Kohli said at the presentation.

The 30-year-old will now take a break from international cricket after he was rested for the final two ODIs of this series. Rohit will lead the side in Kohli's absence.

"Hopefully we can win the last 2 games. I haven't had a break for a long time. It's been a very hectic Australian tour and now I go on a break very happy 3-0 up sealing the series. I can relax and enjoy my break. Someday someone has to take your place and that's how the game goes," Kohli added.