Chasing 334 for victory, India were bowled out for 89 in 28.3 overs, recording their second-heaviest defeat by runs in ODI history and their sixth-lowest total in the format.

Matt Henry produced a career-best six for 27, including three wickets in the opening over, as India's top order collapsed to zero for three.

Henry dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer with his first three deliveries, setting the tone for a rout that saw only three batters reach double figures.

Ishan Kishan top-scored with 27, while Axar Patel and Naman Dhir added 21 each in a brief 44-run stand that merely delayed the inevitable.

Earlier, Will Young anchored New Zealand's innings with 125 off 108 balls, his fifth ODI century and highest score, after being dropped twice in the second over.

Young shared 97 with Tim Seifert, who made 58, and 68 with Finn Allen, who contributed 41, lifting the hosts to 333 for six in their 50 overs.

For India, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi claimed two wickets apiece, but the attack struggled to contain Young after his early reprieves.

The defeat is India's largest by runs since the 245-run loss to Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000, and follows a 2-1 ODI series defeat to England in July.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir said the batting fragility had been evident even in the narrow DLS win in the second ODI, when India slipped to 111 for seven chasing 135.

"There's no benefit to sweeping it under the carpet. It isn't just this match. Even in the previous match, we were seven down for 111 or 112," Gambhir said.

"Yeah, it's a huge defeat, no doubt about it, but even in the previous match, if you're chasing 135, and you get seven down for 111, obviously it is a bit of a concern," he added.

India were without regular captain Shubman Gill and senior batter KL Rahul, both rested to prepare for the two-Test series that begins in Wellington on November 19.

The pair will also miss Sunday's series decider at the same venue, where New Zealand will aim to draw the series after losing the preceding T20I series 3-2.

The third ODI in the series was abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.

In the opening match in Auckland, India chased a revised target of 143 in 32 overs with Kohli unbeaten on 74 and Gill 37, though Rohit Sharma fell for a duck.

The second ODI in Wellington saw India scrape a four-run DLS win after being set 135 in 26 overs, with Shreyas Iyer top-scoring with 30 and Rahul unbeaten on 26.

New Zealand's victory ends India's streak of overseas ODI series wins and gives the hosts a chance to share the trophy in the final match.

The two-match Test series follows the ODI leg, with the second Test scheduled for Christchurch from November 27.

Brief scores: New Zealand 333-6 (50 overs; Young 125, Seifert 58, Allen 41; Axar 2-45, Brar 2-52, Nabi 2-58) beat India 89 (28.3 overs; Kishan 27, Axar 21, Dhir 21; Henry 6-27) by 244 runs.

New Zealand were bowled out for 134 in 41 overs after their innings was disrupted by rain and early damage from the visiting pace attack. India reached a revised target during a low-scoring chase before rain ended play with the tourists marginally ahead.

New Zealand struggled early in their innings after losing their first three wickets for just 23 runs inside the ninth over. Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj caused immediate problems for the home batting lineup with the moving ball.

Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner attempted to rebuild the innings by sharing a 59-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Mitchell provided the primary resistance for the hosts with a knock of 55 runs before falling to Axar Patel.

Axar dismissed Mitchell when the batter attempted a big shot, finishing his spell with figures of 2-28. Gurnoor Brar then removed Santner as the New Zealand lower order collapsed, with the hosts dismissed in 41 overs.

Brar finished as the pick of the Indian bowlers with career-best figures of 4-30, utilising extra bounce from the pitch. Auqib Nabi claimed 2-31 and Anshul Kamboj took 2-25 to complete a dominant bowling display.

Chasing a revised target of 135 from 47 overs, India encountered immediate trouble against the New Zealand pace attack. Jacob Duffy dismissed both Shubman Gill for a duck and Virat Kohli for seven runs within the opening two overs.

Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer sought to stabilise the innings through a cautious partnership amidst testing conditions. Rohit responded to shorter deliveries with aggressive pull shots before edging a delivery from Kyle Jamieson to the slip fielder to depart for 23.

Axar Patel contributed seven runs before falling to Matthew Fisher, leaving the tourists under pressure. Shreyas and KL Rahul combined to steer the chase forward with watchful strokeplay.

Jamieson struck with the final ball of the 20th over to dismiss Shreyas for 30 runs, leaving India needing 49 runs with five wickets remaining. Naman Dhir added crucial runs before being caught in the deep while attempting a six off Duffy.

Rain arrived to halt proceedings with India positioned ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, securing the narrow triumph. The result extends India's advantage in the five-match series to two matches to none.

The teams will travel to Hamilton for the third match of the series scheduled for November 10. Subsequent fixtures will take place in Mount Maunganui on November 13 and November 15.