🏏 New Zealand vs India 5th T20I in Thiruvananthapuram 7 PM IST🏏 - Page 20

India clinch the series 4-1 in an emphatic fashion with a thoroughly dominant performance in the five-match T20I series. A class apart throughout, the hosts have capped it off with another clinical win. After winning the toss, India opted to bat and barring Sanju Samson’s continued struggles at the top, everything fell into place. Abhishek Sharma provided early impetus, before Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav took complete control with a scintillating partnership. The Indian skipper brought up a brisk half-century, while Kishan went a step further, compiling a breathtaking hundred. A late cameo from Hardik Pandya ensured the momentum never dipped as India piled up a colossal 271. Chasing such a daunting target was always going to be a stiff challenge for New Zealand. Finn Allen gave them hope with a blistering start, smashing 80 off just 38 balls, but once he departed, the chase lost steam. India struck at regular intervals thereafter, never allowing the visitors to build any momentum - similar to the earlier matches of this series. Arshdeep Singh starred with the ball, picking up a five-wicket haul, while Axar Patel chipped in with three as India sealed a comprehensive 46-run victory. It was a complete and an all-round team performance from the Men in Blue. Stay around for the presentations..

Arshdeep Singh: Yep, it was a great learning for me as well - to stay in the game and not think about what happened in the past or in the first spell. That was the message from the coaching staff. I just wanted to stay in the present and do what was right in front of me.

(how does he stay calm) It’s just for the camera that I look calm - I’m definitely feeling the pressure as well. Lately, I’ve been going for quite a few runs, so I’m just trying to work that out with Morne and give my best for the team. I enjoyed some of the shots Finn played. But yes, I guess we could have planned a little better according to the wicket. Chasing 250-plus, they were always going to come hard. We could have executed a bit better, but the plan was to stay in the present and just enjoy it.

(what was said by SKY during the huddle after the powerplay) There’s no secret there. The talk was about body language - about giving it our all and giving ourselves the best chance to restrict them to around 180 or 190. They played really well and scored a lot of runs, but we’re happy to be on the winning side.

(does the team know where they stand before the World Cup) Yes, pretty happy with everyone performing well individually. But a perfect team game hasn’t come yet - we haven’t clicked in all departments at the same time. That’s a good sign too, because hopefully in the World Cup, all three phases of the game can come together and we can have a perfect game.

496 runs hit today, second most ever in a T20I

Most sixes in a T20I

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Arshdeep Singh: Yep, it was a great learning for me as well - to stay in the game and not think about what happened in the past or in the first spell. That was the message from the coaching staff. I just wanted to stay in the present and do what was right in front of me. (how does he stay calm) It’s just for the camera that I look calm - I’m definitely feeling the pressure as well. Lately, I’ve been going for quite a few runs, so I’m just trying to work that out with Morne and give my best for the team. I enjoyed some of the shots Finn played. But yes, I guess we could have planned a little better according to the wicket. Chasing 250-plus, they were always going to come hard. We could have executed a bit better, but the plan was to stay in the present and just enjoy it. (what was said by SKY during the huddle after the powerplay) There’s no secret there. The talk was about body language - about giving it our all and giving ourselves the best chance to restrict them to around 180 or 190. They played really well and scored a lot of runs, but we’re happy to be on the winning side. (does the team know where they stand before the World Cup) Yes, pretty happy with everyone performing well individually. But a perfect team game hasn’t come yet - we haven’t clicked in all departments at the same time. That’s a good sign too, because hopefully in the World Cup, all three phases of the game can come together and we can have a perfect game.

Another comprehensive win for the hosts. Lots of changes this game, their batters got going. The bowlers were given some tap, mainly by Allen at the top of the order, but after the first ten overs, the tide turned big time. Arshdeep, who went for 40 in his first two, got a five-for in the end. Varun and Axar, in particular, were threatening. Kishan's keeping had a couple of misses but the fact that he kept wickets and not Samson could be a sign of things to come in the T20 World Cup.

Match Summary

A batter's paradise, a bowler's nightmare - It was one of those games where no bowler wanted the ball. Runs flowed freely, boundaries rained down, and sixes flew into the stands at will. New Zealand or India, it didn’t matter who was batting, the pitch offered a lot of generosity for the ones with the bat. Even a world-class operator like Jasprit Bumrah found no relief, as the surface showed absolutely no mercy to anyone with the ball in hand.

India unleashed a batting avalanche - India rolled the dice by batting first on a tacky surface, but the move looked risky early as Sanju Samson fell yet again for a single-digit score. Abhishek Sharma refused to let the innings stall, counter-attacking with intent and setting the stage for Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to take over. That, however, was only the warm-up. What followed was a full-blown run feast. Kishan and SKY stitched together a brutal 137-run stand, turning the ground into a target range. Every corner, you name it, was found and attacked, every length punished. SKY cruised to his fifty, while Kishan went the distance with a commanding century. Hardik Pandya ensured the foot stayed on the pedal, smashing a breezy 42 off just 17 balls as India stormed to a towering 271. Such was the assault that the bowlers were reduced to mere spectators, watching the scoreboard spiral out of control.

New Zealand refused to concede - If India’s initial assault was ruthless, New Zealand’s reply was even more ferocious in nature. In pursuit of 272, they lost Seifert in the very first over, mirroring India’s early setback with Samson, but it barely slowed them down. The Kiwis stormed to 79 for 1 in the Powerplay, comfortably eclipsing India, with Finn Allen leading the charge through an effortless half-century off just 22 balls. Alongside Rachin Ravindra, Allen stitched together a blazing 100-run partnership that put the chase firmly on track.

From expensive to exceptional - India's recovery - In chases of this magnitude, the bowling side needs just one opening. India found theirs through Axar Patel when he fished out Allen and finished off with a three-for. Arshdeep Singh, after conceding 40 runs in his first two overs, roared back with an inspirational spell that ripped the heart out of the chase. He finished with a stunning five-wicket haul, giving away just 11 runs in his final two overs. The impact was immediate and brutal as New Zealand collapsed from 117 for 1 to 137 for 5 in a blink. From there, there were a few blips from the lower order, but they too, knew their fate was dead and buried.

Kasinathan: "Cricket is a funny game. Rinku getting a wicket while Bumrah goes wicketless”

Sixes galore in Thiruvananthapuram - The match was defined by insane power hitting, with a total of 36 sixes struck across both innings. Ishan Kishan led the charge, hammering 10 of them in his 103, with 84 runs coming through fours and sixes. It was a statement knock at the right time, offering a strong case for himself just a week before the mega event. Finn Allen, meanwhile, carried his BBL form into a completely different and challenging setting, adapting swiftly and continuing his rich vein of form and runs.

Mitchell Santner, NZ captain:

Yeah, I think when you look at the series as a whole, we’ve taken a lot of positives. India are a very good team - I said that right at the start - and in their own conditions they’re extremely tough to beat. Maybe we push the ropes back a little for the bowlers (laughs), but overall, it’s entertaining cricket at the end of the day. (did they manage to tick off a few boxes) I think when you’re challenged throughout a series, that’s always a good thing. You put both your bowlers and batters under pressure, and you can only learn from that. From that point of view, it’s been a really good series for us. Obviously, the results haven’t gone our way, but there are learnings from every single game. (what are the learning with the World Cup coming up) It’s not easy. As a bowling unit, we’ve got to find ways against very good batters - guys who deal in boundaries and sixes. Maybe it’s about turning those big overs into 15 or 16, especially on flat pitches, knowing that even 230 can be chaseable.

Congratulations to Ishan for Player of the match award!! well deserved

Ishan Kishan | Player of the Match:

(immediate thoughts on his knock) Honestly, not much. I felt the ball was doing a bit early on, but batting alongside Abhishek Sharma really helps. You see his intent, you understand the momentum the team needs, and then you just try to watch the ball and play accordingly. That approach worked well for me today.

(not worrying about personal milestones) I think that’s the mindset of everyone in our team now. Even if you’re close to a milestone, it doesn’t really matter. If you start taking singles at that stage, you might feel later that you missed an opportunity to go big. So if the ball is there to hit, you have to go for it. The focus is on winning matches, not personal milestones.

(how satisfying is it) I still feel I’m not there yet. Yes, I’ve done well and I’m getting these awards, but my focus is firmly on the World Cup. That’s where the extra effort is needed. What’s important is carrying this form forward and continuing to contribute there.

Suryakumar Yadav, India T20I captain| Player of the Series:

It feels really good. It’s been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I’ve always dreamed about when this time would come. You actually said it before the last series in Ahmedabad - when SKY is there, don’t fear. I just kept doing the same things I’d been doing over the last year, stuck to my routines. I knew I wasn’t out of form, just out of runs. It’s been a very good series, and going into the World Cup feeling like this is really special.

(what was going through his mind) I think the sky wasn’t blue for a year, (smiles). But that’s life. It’s part of the journey. I took it in my stride, went back to the drawing board, tried to understand what was going wrong. After the last series, I got two or three weeks where I spent time with close friends - they told me a few important things I needed to follow. That’s a sportsperson’s life. I’ve seen so many careers - not just in cricket - where people go through these phases. I knew my time would come if I kept doing the small things right. I’m really happy with how things have turned out.

(is he happy with how things are shaping up) Definitely. Whether you win or lose, you always take something from the game. When we go back to Mumbai and play a warm-up game against South Africa, we’ll sit down and analyse the last five games and the year as a whole - what we’ve done well and what we can improve. Then we start our campaign.

(New Zealand didn't give up) This format is really hard on bowlers - I completely understand that. When you score big runs, you have to expect the opposition to come hard at you. As a captain and as a bowling unit, you’re always under pressure. The key is having good plans. It’s all part of the learning process. We’ll sit down, talk it through, and move forward.