Mount Maunganui: Chances of another Super Over finish surfaced at one point of time in the last over. But sharp India didn't need that shoot-out to create history by beating New Zealand 5-0 in an international cricket series.

On Sunday, stand-in captain Rohit Sharma didn't take the field and KL Rahul took on the added responsibility of leading his team in fine fashion. Asked whether captain Virat Kohli has been an inspiration, Rahul said: "When you have players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the dressing room, you don't have to look further for the inspiration. Even Jasprit Bumrah [considering] the way they have been consistent and have been performing." Rahul finished the series as the highest run-getter. In fact, no player has made 224 runs in a T20 bilateral series. Averaging 56 in this series, Rahul had scores of 45, 39, 27, 57* and 56 in the five games against the Kiwis. "It's not easy to get an opportunity at this level but you know after playing a couple of years in international cricket that you have to utilise each opportunity to its fullest. There is so much talent and competition in this team and we all are aware of that," explained the India opener after India's seven-run win.