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New Zealand secures consolation T20I win over visiting India
New Zealand concluded their five-match T20I series against India with a comfortable seven-wicket victory at Seddon Park on Sunday. Chasing a challenging target of 192, blistering knocks from Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips ensured the hosts reached the finish line in just 17.4 overs. India entered the weekend already holding an unassailable lead, allowing them to experiment with their lineup. Despite dropping this final encounter in Hamilton, the visitors successfully retained the bilateral series trophy with a final 3-2 margin. Indian paceman Arshdeep Singh struck early by removing Finn Allen during the second over. Daryl Mitchell partnered with Seifert to steady the innings before falling to Varun Chakaravarthy for 29 runs. Seifert then seized complete control, unleashing a relentless assault on the Indian bowling unit. He struck 11 boundaries and five sixes, falling just seven runs short of a milestone century when Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled him out for 93 off 50 deliveries. Phillips maintained the high scoring rate, bringing up his fourth half-century of the bilateral series. He remained unbeaten on 65 from 38 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes to seal the game with 14 deliveries remaining.
Milne restricts Indian batters
Batting first, India faced early struggles as Jacob Duffy bowled a restrictive opening over and Adam Milne dismissed Abhishek Sharma cheaply. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan quickly rebuilt the innings, forging a crucial 93-run partnership for the third wicket. Kishan scored a rapid 61 from 31 deliveries, featuring five fours and five sixes, before falling to Nathan Smith. Iyer contributed an explosive 50 off 23 balls. Naman Dhir added a brisk 33 late in the innings to keep the scoreboard moving. However, Milne returned to dismantle the lower order effectively. Claiming four wickets for only 19 runs, the fast bowler prevented the visitors from surpassing the 200-run mark. India ultimately finished their 20 overs at 191 for eight.
With Inputs from Agency threads and Image courtesy: ANI
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