This match was eerily similar to the 1st ODI between India and New Zealand.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor setting a good platform, to allow Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi to go nuts in the end, with the Kiwis posting a total close to 300 to put the pressure on the India batsmen.
The visiting side's openers failing yet again, with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli putting on a good partnership under pressure to seemingly take their side to an improbable victory, before a vital wicket put paid to those hopes.
The end result, unfortunately from India's point of view, was also similar - a victory for New Zealand, and with it an authoritative 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
India huffed and puffed, but New Zealand's house at home held firm, with Dhoni and co. finishing on 277 for nine in 41.3 overs, before play came to a slightly premature end, three balls before the scheduled close, due to rain, to hand the Kiwis a 15-run victory.
New Zealand were poised for that final assault in the last 15 overs or so, when Mother Nature decided to halt proceedings for a bit and give both sides, particularly India, a chance to pause for breath in the 2nd ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
The Kiwis were in an ominous position at 170 for two in 33.2 overs, when showers forced the umpires to show that dreaded signal, that the fans hate so much, to the ground staff to bring the covers back on.
A slight rain delay had already come and gone before that after the 17th over, but while signs pointed towards the same situation this time around as well, initially, the rain teased the umpires, players and supporters, before staying on for a considerable period of time.
The match was delayed for nearly a couple of hours, with the umpires having no choice but to reduce the overs to 42 each.
That meant a six, boundary and nothing else contest in the final eight and some overs remaining, with Ross Taylor and blink-and-you-will-miss-his-six Corey Anderson taking charge, with New Zealand finishing their cut-short-thanks-to-some-rain innings on 271 for seven in 42 overs - the target for India was then increased to 297 courtesy Messrs Duckworth and Lewis.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan disappointed yet again at the top, getting stuck initially, before losing their wickets before the opening ten overs were up - Tim Southee dismissing both the openers for his 99th and 100th wickets in ODI cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane again came in at No. 4, and the right-hander at least showed some resolve to stay in the middle, putting one a good 90-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who again looked like he was batting on a different surface from the rest of the India batsmen.
Rahane (36, 42b, 4x4), though, after getting a good start, threw his wicket away, wafting at a short pitch delivery from Mitchell McClenaghan and only managing to edge it to wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi.
Dhoni decided to come in a little early, leaving Raina to do the finishing job, if necessary, and the India skipper and Kohli yet again looked to build a partnership towards chasing down the target.
However, 37 runs from six overs later, Kohli (78, 65b, 7x4, 2x6) toe-ended one straight to substitute fielder Anton Devcich at mid-on, with Southee picking up his third wicket.
Raina had to show his ODI prowess, just had to, and the left-hander began really well in the company of Dhoni, who just waited and waited before launching that big bat to take the ball beyond orbit.
The duo brought down the target to 107 from the final ten overs, before further whittling it down to 71 from the final six. However, Raina (35, 22b, 6x4) attempted one hoick too many soon after, falling in the first ball of the 37th over to Kyle Mills.
It was now down to Dhoni, isn't it always, and I-want-to-show-I-haven't-forgotten-to-bat Ravindra Jadeja to sneak India through to an improbable victory. A couple of streaky boundaries from Dhoni -- one a drop that trickled to the ropes, and the other an edge - and the target was down to 50 from the final four overs.
With India needing 40 from 18 deliveries, Dhoni(56, 44b, 7x4, 1x6) , the nothing is impossible man, showed he is human after all, mistiming one off Anderson to spell India's doom, and with the gold dust gone, the away side tumbled, while also losing their number one ranking to the marauding Australia.
Earlier, Dhoni won the toss for the second straight time and chose to field, expectedly, with the New Zealand openers - Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill - unable to put on a big opening partnership.
Ryder (20, 11b, 4x4), after a couple of typically brutal cuts through the off side, fell playing his favourite shot, edging a wide one off Mohammed Shami which bounced a touch more than he expected.
Guptill, despite initially struggling at the crease, and he's-turning-his-early-promise-into-real-class-now Kane Williamson steadied the Kiwi innings quite well after the first wicket, putting together 89 runs in 15.3 overs to set that proverbial platform.
India needed to pick up a couple of wickets to ensure the innings doesn't get out of hand, and part-timer and unable-to-play-short-ball-maestro Suresh Raina provided just that, with Guptill (44, 65b 5x4, 1x6) playing a half-pull/half-sweep and only managing a top edge to Shami at short fine leg.
I-love-to-hit-the-ball-for-a-boundary-to-midwicket Ross Taylor came in, and survived a close stumping, with the former Kiwi captain giving Williamson, who eased past his 50 in some style, good company in the middle.
The duo had allied for 56 runs, before the rain came calling, and after a concerted delay, which then reduced the match to just 42 overs apiece, Williamson (77, 87b, 5x4, 1x6) fell, looking to take the attack to the bowlers. Ravindra Jadeja bowling a perfect left-arm off-spinner, which drifted in and then spun out allowing Dhoni to complete a simple stumping.
Williamson's wicket, despite playing really well, proved to be a blessing in disguise actually as it brought that you-bowl-length-and-it-goes-out-of-the-ground man Corey Anderson into the crease.
The left-handed slugger started off a boundary, and carried on from there with maximum after maximum - a particularly memorable six came off Ishant Sharma, which a fan, an Indian at that, took fantastically with one hand to win himself a $100,000 - pandemonium reigned amongst the fans after that, with Anderson and Taylor unable to hide the smiles as well.
Anderson (44, 17b, 2x4, 5x6) was just teeing off now, hitting anything even remotely on length out of the ground, with why-on-earth-does-he-always-get-picked Ishant, ending his and India's misery, with the wicket of the left-hander, who fell a six short of getting to the fastest 50 in ODI cricket, just a couple of weeks after he broke the record for the quickest hundred.
Brendon McCullum was waiting in the wings, however, but the NZ skipper fell in the next over to Shami (three for 55), before a nice short delivery from the India pacer induced a top edge off Taylor with Dhoni completing a comfortable catch.
Two wickets in the one over pulled things back a little, just when it looked like matters were getting out of hand with Anderson and Taylor (57, 56b, 8x4) smashing balls put of the Milky Way. Shami's over was pure brilliance, giving away a brilliant three runs for two wickets, before Bhuvneshwar Kumar got in on the act, castling Nathan McCullum with a nice yorker.
Luke Ronchi (18, 10b, 2x4, 1x6) powered a couple in the final few balls though as the Kiwis finished with a sound score showing up on the scoreboard.
