Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 31 (ANI): A blistering century by Ishan Kishan, a classy knock by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, and a superb five-wicket haul by Arshdeep Singh helped India register a commanding 46-run victory over New Zealand after posting a massive 271 runs in the final T20I of the five-match series here on Saturday.
With this win, the Men in Blue clinched the T20I series 4–1, having won the first three matches. New Zealand had claimed the fourth game of the series.
Chasing a daunting target of 272 at the Greenfield International Stadium, New Zealand got off to a mixed start, losing opener Tim Seifert for five runs as the score moved to 17. Finn Allen, however, counter-attacked aggressively, racing to a 22-ball half-century, the fastest by a New Zealand batter against India in T20Is. The visitors reached 79/1 in six overs, their second-highest powerplay total against India.
New Zealand continued the onslaught to reach 105/1 after eight overs. Axar Patel provided the crucial breakthrough on the final ball of the ninth over, dismissing Allen for 80 off 38 deliveries, which included eight fours and six sixes. At the halfway mark, New Zealand stood at 131/2.
Axar struck again in the 11th over, removing Glenn Phillips for seven. Arshdeep Singh then took control, dismissing Rachin Ravindra for 30 off 11 balls before removing skipper Mitchell Santner for a two-ball duck as New Zealand slipped to 138/5.
Bevon Jacobs and Daryl Mitchell briefly revived the chase with a 22-run over against Jasprit Bumrah, taking the score to 166/5. Varun Chakaravarthy ended the stand by dismissing Jacobs for seven in the following over. Arshdeep struck twice in the 16th over, removing Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell to complete his maiden T20I five-wicket haul. New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 225 in 19.4 overs.
For India, Arshdeep Singh finished with figures of 5/51, while Axar Patel claimed 3/33. Varun Chakaravarthy and Rinku Singh chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav powered India to 271/5 after opting to bat first, sharing a blistering 137-run partnership. Kishan smashed 103 off 43 balls, including six fours and 10 sixes, while Suryakumar scored 63 off 30 deliveries with four boundaries and six sixes. Hardik Pandya added a quickfire 42 off 17 balls.
Abhishek Sharma provided a brisk start with 30 off 16 balls. India reached 54/2 at the end of the powerplay and crossed the 100-run mark in the 10th over. The scoring rate accelerated dramatically as Kishan tore into the New Zealand bowling, collecting 29 runs off an Ish Sodhi over and reaching his fifty in just 28 balls.
Suryakumar brought up his third half-century of the series in 26 balls before being stumped off Santner for 63. India crossed 200 runs in the 16th over, and Kishan went on to register his maiden T20I century in just 42 balls. He was eventually dismissed for 103, with India at 233/4.
Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya continued the late charge as India crossed 250 in the 19th over. The hosts ended their innings at a formidable 271/5, with Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube unbeaten at the crease.
For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson was the most effective bowler with figures of 2/41, while Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, and Mitchell Santner picked up a wicket apiece.
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