New Zealand added India to South Africa and England as top-four ranked teams they have beaten in series in just over 12 months.
Taylor has avoided the headlines in this series despite scoring 55, 57 and 17 before tonight's crucial ton; not any more. He demonstrated his match-winning power when it counted with 112 off 127 balls to reach the 279-run target with seven wickets and 11 balls to spare.
When Taylor is playing well it's not the big shots that garner attention; it's the deft late cuts and the sheer willpower not to slog through the legside.
Tonight he resisted to a point where he only scored 14 runs between backward square leg and mid-wicket; remarkable for a man whose trademark shot is considered the slog sweep. This is his seminal summer.
He was supported by Kane Williamson (60 off 82 balls) who made his fourth consecutive half-century and captain Brendon McCullum (49 off 36 balls).
In contrast to Taylor's late cuts, McCullum never looks more imperious than using his feet to drive on the up over cover. His effort in the 42nd over was a doppelganger for a rifle shot. The echo was probably heard in Raglan.
It is just the second time after the 5-2 triumph in 2002-03 which New Zealand have beaten India in a series of three or more ODI matches.
India's 278 for five looked competitive on a pitch which was expected to slow up further as the evening progressed but their pace bowlers couldn't give them any traction.
The team batting first has won in the two previous ODIs this season. On January 8, the West Indies posted 363 for four while New Zealand accumulated 271 for seven in 42 overs between rain showers six days ago.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (79 off 73 balls) and the star of the third match at Eden Park, Ravindra Jadeja (62 off 54 balls) produced an unbeaten stand of 127 for the sixth wicket which kept India in the contest.
India faced a New Zealand attack lacking Mitchell McClenaghan and Corey Anderson. The pair were rested due to apparent injury niggles. Jimmy Neesham got his first match of the series while Kyle Mills returned.
India struggled to force the run rate early, resulting in makeshift opener Virat Kohli skying a judicious Tim Southee use of the short ball to square leg at five for one in the fourth over. Likewise Ajinkya Rahane was caught hooking to long leg off Kyle Mills in the ninth, leaving the visitors at 22 for two.
Southee and Mills deserve credit for their disciplined bowling in the first nine overs. They rarely erred with half volleys or by drifted onto the pads. A lack of pace was evident judging by the Indian batsmen getting through shots too quickly and mistiming or offering catches.
The first boundary came in the seventh over from Rohit Sharma who proved capable of steepling contact even when he miscues. Still, he needed to progress. Seventeen of his previous 23 balls had been dots.
Taylor dropped a regulation Sharma slips catch to his left off Southee to start the eighth over. Sharma was 14 - he finished on 79. Taylor might have put it out of his mind had the big screen not played it half a dozen times straight in front of him. No doubt it was a spur for later.
- NZ Herald
