Hanilton, Nov 2:
Tim Seifert’s explosive 93 and Glenn Phillips’ unbeaten half-century powered New Zealand to a seven-wicket victory over India in the fifth and final T20I on Sunday, as the hosts signed off with a win despite losing the five-match series 2-3.
Chasing a challenging 192, New Zealand reached 195 for three in 18 overs, with Seifert and Phillips producing a match-winning partnership after an early setback. India had posted 191 for eight, built around half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
New Zealand’s reply began badly when Finn Allen (9) top-edged Arshdeep Singh to Ishan Kishan. Seifert and Daryl Mitchell then steadied the innings with a 73-run second-wicket stand. Mitchell scored 29 off 16 balls, taking on Prince Yadav with successive sixes before falling to Varun Chakravarthy, who was playing his first match of the series.
Seifert, who had managed only 14 runs off his first 15 deliveries, made the most of a reprieve on 13 when Naman Dhir dropped a catch near the boundary off Arshdeep. He shifted gears dramatically, reaching his half-century off 34 balls. He went on to smash 93 off 50 deliveries, including 11 fours and five sixes. His innings included a 108-metre six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Phillips provided the perfect support, reaching his fifty in just 29 balls and finishing unbeaten on 65 off 38 deliveries. The pair added 86 runs for the third wicket, taking New Zealand to victory with two overs to spare. Seifert fell just seven runs short of a maiden T20I century, edging Nitish Kumar Reddy behind.
Earlier, India had a shaky start after losing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson with only 19 runs on the board in 3.1 overs. Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer then turned the innings around with an aggressive 107-run partnership in a little over seven overs.
Kishan scored 61 off 32 balls, while Iyer made 50 off just 23 deliveries. Kishan brought up his half-century in 28 balls, and Iyer followed with his own in 22 balls. Their partnership put India in a strong position, but New Zealand struck back at a crucial stage, with Adam Milne dismissing Kishan and Nathan Smith removing Iyer.
India lost momentum after the dismissals, managing only 57 runs in the final seven overs. Milne was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with four wickets for 19 runs, restricting India to 191 for eight.
Despite the defeat in the final match, India won the series 3-2. The teams will now turn their attention to the ODI leg of the tour.