'Built as a team, won as a team': India head coach reacts to T20I series win

India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised the team’s collective effort after India won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 3-2, despite losing the final match by seven wickets at Seddon Park on Sunday (Nov 1). Taking to X, Gambhir shared a message celebrating the team’s unity and wrote, “Built as a Team. Won as a Team. Always for India.”

India had taken an unassailable 3-0 lead after winning the first three matches of the series. However, New Zealand bounced back by winning the last two T20Is to end the series 3-2.

In the fifth and final match, New Zealand chased down India’s target of 192 in just 17.4 overs to secure a seven-wicket win.

Tim Seifert led the hosts’ chase with an impressive 93 off 50 balls, hitting 11 fours and five sixes. Glenn Phillips also played a key role, remaining unbeaten on 65 off 38 deliveries, with eight fours and three sixes.

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The pair added 86 runs for the third wicket to put New Zealand in a strong position. Phillips also scored his fourth half-century of the series, joining Mohammad Rizwan and S Ravichandran among batters who have registered four or more 50-plus scores in a bilateral T20I series.

Earlier, India recovered from a poor start at 19/2 thanks to a 93-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer. Kishan scored 61 off 32 balls, including five fours and five sixes, while Iyer made 50 off 23 deliveries, hitting three fours and four sixes.

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Naman Dhir added 33 off 23 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 22 off 17 deliveries to help India post 191/8 in 20 overs.

Adam Milne was New Zealand’s best bowler, taking four wickets for 19 runs. Blair Tickner and Nathan Smith also picked up wickets.

Despite India’s competitive total, Seifert and Phillips guided New Zealand to victory with 14 balls remaining.