India beat New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I between the two teams by 46 runs. With this win, India ended this series in dominant fashion, winning it with a scoreline of 4-1.
Today was the fifth of five India vs New Zealand T20Is. The match was played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The home side won the toss and decided to bat first on a flat track.
India vs New Zealand: India Dominates With Bat In 5th T20I Vs NZ
For the fifth time in this series, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson came to open the innings for India, and for the fifth time in the series, Samson disappointed with the bat. The wicketkeeper/batter was dismissed in the third over for a run-a-ball six.
On the other end of the pitch, however, Abhishek Sharma started in the way he usually does, quickly. While he did get out in the powerplay, in the fifth over to be exact, he scored 30 runs in 16 balls before becoming Lockie Ferguson’s second wicket of the night.
After both the openers departed, the real fireworks began. The duo of Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav, both of whom have had an excellent series so far, made big runs yet again.
The pair batted for about 10 overs together and put up 137 runs on the board. In the 15th over, when Surya was dismissed by the opposing captain, Mitchell Santner, he had made 63 off 30.
Kishan, on the other hand, was driving in a different gear. He had a short yet excellent partnership with Hardik Pandya as well, the duo making 48 runs in exactly 18 deliveries together.
Ishan Kishan was dismissed in the 18th over. He reached the 100-run mark in just the previous over and was dismissed for 103 off 43. His reintroduction into the Indian Cricket Team in this series has been immensely successful.
Hardik Pandya continued the slogging with a 17-ball 42, and Shivam Dube hit a six in the two balls he faced, ending the Men in Blue’s innings at a stunning score of 271/5.
New Zealand seemed to have gotten off to an excellent start. Three boundaries in the first over, followed by three wides before the final delivery, meant Arshdeep Singh conceded 17 runs in that over. But then, on the last ball, Tim Seifert lost his wicket.
However, following the forest wicket, the Kiwis gave the Indian Cricket Team a right scare. The pair of Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra, over the next eight overs, accrued 110 runs together before Allen got out for 80 off 38.
Allen was a one-man show tonight. So, despite wickets keeping falling around him, he kept the Blackcaps’ hopes alive.
Glenn Phillips made seven off six, Rachin Ravindra failed to cash in on his good start and got out for 30 off 17, Daryl Mitchell made a fighting 26 off 12, skipper Mitchell Santner was dismissed for a two-ball duck, and Bevon Jacobs disappointed with seven off 11.
At 180/8 in the 16th over, New Zealand gave a good fight but was down and out. But then came a final punch from the Kiwis, as bowler Isha Sodhi went berserk with the bat. The spinner made 33 off 15 before being dismissed in the last over by none other than Rinku Singh.
The Blackcaps were dismissed for 225 as the Indian Cricket Team won the game by 46 runs. This win also means that India won this series 4-1.
For his excellent inning of 103 off 43, Ishan Kishan was named the Player of the Match for a second time in this series and was a massive contender for the Player of the Series award. But that accolade went to Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, who, across five games, made 242 runs at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate of nearly 200.
This was the final India vs New Zealand T20I. Next up, the 2026 T20 World Cup. The warm-up matches for the World Cup will start next week, as India will play South Africa in their one and only on Wednesday, February 4.
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