Colombo: A comfortable victory for India in the end then. Karthik fell early but Tendulkar was in sublime touch as he scored runs at a brisk pace, putting on a 60-run partnership with Dravid. After Dravid departed, Vettori removed Tendulkar and Yuvraj in quick time to bring NZ back into the game.

Their hopes were dashed as Dhoni and Raina buckled down to forge a 72-run stand to steer India home. NZ have had a disappointing tournament and will have to address their batting woes before the Champions Trophy.

India stumbled in pursuit of 156 under lights but MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina kept cool heads to steer them to a six-wicket win with 57 deliveries to spare and with it end New Zealand's tournament.

New Zealand, after opting to bat, made a complete mess of things and ended up with 155, a total that briefly challenged India but eventually proved to be inadequate.

Inspired by their two most experienced bowlers, New Zealand refused to surrender without a scrap but their spirited effort on the field wasn't enough to defend a modest target.

Dinesh Karthik was removed early in the piece to bring Rahul Dravid to the crease but his comeback was a labored 45-ball 14, after which Sachin Tendulkar fell for 46. Raina joined Dhoni and finished off the chase with a calculated 72-run partnership.

Earlier, Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh shared six wickets between them as India turned in a strong bowling performance to skittle New Zealand for a meagre 155 runs in the triangular one-day series in Colombo.

Left-arm seamer Nehra helped India hit the ground running by removing openers Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum in consecutive overs with the new ball, while RP Singh snared Ross Taylor (11) to leave the Black Caps in trouble at 19 for three inside six overs.

Although several batsmen got starts, New Zealand never recovered from those early setbacks as Yuvraj chipped away at the middle order before eventually collapsing inside 47 overs.

Daniel Vettori won a good toss but it was Nehra who drew first blood, trapping Ryder in front off the third delivery of the innings and then dismissing McCullum in similar fashion with the second delivery of his second over.

Brief score:
New Zealand: 155 (Nehra 3-24, Yuvraj 3-31)
India: 156 for 4 (Tendulkar 46, Raina 45*)
Results: India beat New Zealand by six wickets
Man of the Match: Ashish Nehra (India)
Series status: India reach semi-final