New Zealand ended India’s winning run in the five-match T20I series with a seven-wicket victory in the final match at Hamilton on Sunday. Tim Seifert’s 83 and Glenn Phillips’ unbeaten contribution helped the hosts chase down India’s 192-run target in just 18 overs, securing a consolation win after India had already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead.
India, batting first for the first time in the series, posted 191/8 after half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. However, the total proved insufficient as New Zealand completed the chase with 12 balls to spare.
New Zealand finally won the toss and elected to field, putting India in an unfamiliar position in the series. The decision paid off early as Adam Milne removed Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, leaving the visitors searching for momentum.
Abhishek was caught at mid-on after mistiming a big shot, while Samson fell attempting to guide the ball towards fine leg, only to get a leading edge towards extra cover.
Kishan and Iyer responded with an aggressive 83-run partnership off just 43 deliveries. Both batters reached their half-centuries, but their dismissals in quick succession halted India’s progress.
Milne finished with figures of 4/19, while India lost wickets regularly towards the end. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Naman Dhir could not provide the finishing contribution required, leaving India at 191/8.
New Zealand began their chase aggressively, with Seifert taking advantage of an early reprieve. Naman Dhir dropped a difficult but catchable opportunity at deep backward point in the fourth over, allowing the opener to continue.
Seifert reached his half-century in 34 balls and kept the pressure on India’s bowlers with an attacking display. He eventually departed for 83 after Nitish Reddy induced an inside edge onto his stumps.
However, the dismissal came too late to change the course of the chase. Daryl Mitchell, Phillips and Bevon Jacobs maintained the scoring rate, taking New Zealand to victory with two overs remaining.
Phillips also finished the series with 341 runs, setting a record for the most runs by a batter in a bilateral T20I series.
India take positives despite late defeats. India won the series 3-2 despite losing the final two matches. The team used the series to test its bowling depth in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube, while Varun Chakravarthy featured in only one match.
Speaking after the game, Shreyas Iyer said the final two matches provided an opportunity to experiment and challenge the squad.
“First three games steadied the rhythm for us. Last two games I feel we were in the position where we wanted to experiment and challenge ourselves,” Iyer said.
New Zealand’s late comeback gave them momentum heading into their next assignment, while India finished the series with a 3-2 result and several questions to address in their batting and bowling combinations.
