The exciting Twenty20 series between India and New Zealand finally concluded with a scoreline of three to two. By winning the first three matches of the series consecutively, the Indian team had already secured the trophy by establishing an unassailable lead. However, by winning both remaining matches of the tour, the host New Zealand team managed to save some face and also forced the Indian team management to ponder upon several aspects, while in the fifth and final match of the series played at the historic Sedan Park in Hamilton, New Zealand registered a comprehensive 7-wicket victory over India, backed by Adam Milne's exceptional bowling spell and Tim Seifert's explosive innings. This final match of the series was filled with struggle and excitement between both sides, with the hosts eventually coming out on top.
Match Beginning and Indian Batting Performance
Invited to bat first in this crucial match played on Sunday, November 1, the Indian team faced a setback right from the start. Throughout this entire series, this was the first time that captain Shreyas Iyer lost the toss and the Indian team was forced to take the field to bat first. The impact of losing the toss was clearly visible in the poor start of Team India. In the early overs of the innings itself, the Indian team was in deep trouble as openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson were dismissed and walked back to the pavilion with just 19 runs on the board. While the team was trying to recover from these early blows, captain Shreyas Iyer and explosive batsman Ishan Kishan took charge and rapidly accelerated the scoreboard with their aggressive batting.
Continuing his brilliant form, Ishan Kishan completed his half-century in just 28 balls. On the other end, captain Shreyas Iyer, not staying behind, smashed a thunderous fifty in a mere 22 deliveries. Together, both batsmen played magnificent strokes all around the ground and built a highly aggressive and formidable partnership of 93 runs in just 43 balls. Following the dismissals of Iyer and Ishan, Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy came to the crease in the middle order. Both these young players played short but very quick and effective innings, keeping the team run rate high. Despite all this, the Indian team missed crossing the two-hundred-run mark in their allotted overs, while ultimately, India posted a challenging total of 191 runs for the loss of eight wickets in twenty overs.
New Zealand Controlled and Aggressive Start
Chasing the target, New Zealand had a steady start. Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh gave India an early breakthrough by dismissing dangerous opener Finn Allen in the second over itself and tried to put pressure on the hosts. However, Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell, who came to the crease after that, didn't give the Indian bowling attack any chance to dominate, while both batsmen adopted an aggressive approach and rapidly stitched together a brilliant partnership of 73 runs in just seven overs. It looked like the Kiwi batsmen would chase down the target easily, but experienced spinner Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Daryl Mitchell to create another vital opportunity for India in the match.
However, Tim Seifert was in no mood to surrender at any cost. After Mitchell dismissal, he was joined by Glenn Phillips, who proved to be New Zealand most successful batsman throughout this entire series. Continuing his phenomenal innings, Tim Seifert completed his half-century in just 34 balls. Seifert and Phillips once again took charge and propelled the team close to victory with a rapid 86-run partnership in just seven overs. Tim Seifert missed out on his century and fell as a victim to Nitish Kumar Reddy, but by then it was already too late.
Series Conclusion with Victory
Even after Tim Seifert dismissal, there was no threat to New Zealand victory. Exhibiting his magnificent form once again, Glenn Phillips crossed the 50-run mark for the fourth time in this series. Playing a responsible knock, Phillips guided his team to an easy victory in the 18th over. Thus, New Zealand won this thrilling encounter by 7 wickets. Although the Indian team proved subpar in both batting and bowling departments in this final match, and fielding was also not up to the mark, which directly resulted in the defeat. Despite this, having won the first three matches, the five-match T20 series ultimately remained in India favor with a 3-2 scoreline, and the trophy stayed with Team India.