IND vs NZ, 5th T20I: Seifert, Phillips power Kiwis to comfortable seven-wicket win over India

New Zealand defeated India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park on Sunday (Nov 1), chasing down a target of 192 in just 17.4 overs. The victory helped the hosts end the series on a winning note, although India claimed the five-match series 3-2. Tim Seifert led Kiwis' successful chase with a brilliant 93 off 50 balls, while Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 38 deliveries. For India, Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer scored half-centuries, helping the visitors post 191/8 after a poor start. Adam Milne was the pick of the bowlers for hosts with four wickets.

Chasing 192, New Zealand lost Finn Allen early, with Arshdeep Singh dismissing the opener for just two runs. However, Seifert and Daryl Mitchell quickly took control of the innings, helping the hosts reach 59/1 at the end of the powerplay.

Seifert continued his attacking approach and brought up his half-century off 34 balls, while Mitchell also contributed with 29 off 16 deliveries before Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed him in the ninth over.

Phillips then joined Seifert and continued the aggressive batting and the pair added 86 runs for the third wicket, putting New Zealand in a strong position. Their partnership ended in the 16th over when Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled Seifert for 93.

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Phillips completed his fourth half-century of the series in the 17th over, becoming only the third batter to score four or more 50-plus scores in a bilateral series.

New Zealand completed the chase in 17.4 overs, with Phillips finishing unbeaten on 65, including eight fours and three sixes.

Earlier, India struggled at 19/2 after losing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson cheaply. However, Kishan and Iyer brought the innings back on track with a 93-run partnership for the third wicket.

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Kishan scored 61 off 31 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes, while Iyer made 50 off 23 deliveries. Naman Dhir added 33 off 23 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed 22 off 17 deliveries.

However, Milne’s four-wicket haul (4/19), along with wickets from Jacob Duffy and other New Zealand bowlers, restricted India to 191/8, preventing the visitors from crossing the 200-run mark.

With inputs from agencies