New Zealand, in the fifth and final match of a series against India, sent the hosts seven wickets from green, to pick up their second-straight win in the T20I series. Even though India lost the match, they won the series 3-2.
Kishan and Iyer Rebuild India’s Innings
New Zealand won the toss for the first time in the series and elected to field, putting India in to bat. The visitors looked like a disappointing team, conceding both wickets very early in the innings.
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, however, provided essential stability as they struck a great partnership. The pair scored 93 runs in the match and slowly started to bring India back to the game.
The visit seemed to be taking the game away from NZ, but then they struck back. Kishan and Iyer were dismissed within a span of just seven deliveries, halting India’s momentum. The middle order was the most difficult one to let the flow of scoring letters continue and finally India was down 191 runs on the board.
Phillips Leads New Zealand to Victory
New Zealand laboured into the game in an upright manner and Glenn Phillips made an important contribution to this with a 192 chasing effort. He remained at the crease and guided his team towards the target, scoring an unbeaten 65.
With two overs to spare and seven wickets down, the visitors set course for the target. Phillips also secured the highest run tally of his career in the bilateral competition, in the process also setting a record.
New Zealand ended it off with two successive victories but the victories in the first three matches became crucial for India. That set gave the surprising hosts the five-match sweep 3-2.