Kane Williamson called right and elected to bat first as New Zealand surprisingly left out Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
R Ashwin, after being hit for a six on the first ball of the match, trapped Martin Guptill lbw on the very next ball to get the match off to a frenetic start.
New Zealand kept losing wickets in spin friendly conditions but Corey Anderson kept the bowlers at bay before he was bowled for a 42-ball 34.
A lot depended on Kane Williamson but he was stumped off the bowling of Suresh Raina for 8.
New Zealand kept losing wickets and struggled to get the spinners away only to manage 126 for 7.
New Zealand started well and reduced India to 26 for 4.
Virat Kohli (23) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (30) fought hard but India's batting let the fans down as they suffered a 47-run loss.