New Zealand denied an opportunity to India to become the first side to clinch a T20I series win at the former’s home turf by sealing a narrow four-run win over the Men in Blue in the third and final match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.
Chasing a huge target of 213 runs to win, India were restricted to the score of 208-6 in their stipulated 20 overs. Vijay Shankar (43) and opener Rohit Sharma (38) were the highest scorers for India while Rishabh Pant (28 off 12 balls) and Hardik Pandya (21 off 11 balls) also made short cameos.
For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Daryl Mitchell bagged two wickets each while Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner also chipped in with a wicket each.
Earlier, Tim Seifert (43) and Colin Munro (72) stitched a crucial 80-run stand for the opening wicket to guide New Zealand to a score 212 for four after being asked to bat first.
Here are the live updates:
# New Zealand beat India by four runs in the third T20I, clinch series 2-1! India 208/6 (20 overs)
Congratulations to New Zealand on winning the series 2-1 #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/x829ObFkBN
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
# India 183/6 (18 overs)
# Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya are currently batting at the middle.
# Wicket! New Zealand have turned the match completely in their favour by removing MS Dhoni for two runs. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman got a Mitchell delivery too high on the bat as Southee completes a straightforward catch at long-on. India 154/6 (16 overs)
59 from 24 now with Daryl Mitchell taking his second wicket in the 16th over. Tim Southee taking the catch to dismiss Dhoni. 154/6 LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND = @PhotosportNZ pic.twitter.com/1wWlixQfzg
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Wicket! India are in big trouble as they lose Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in quick successions. The Indian opener guided a Daryl Mitchell delivery over cover but gets a thick edge to hand a simple catch to Seifert and depart for 38. Soon after the Indian opener’s departure, Pandya followed him to the pavilion with a flying bat as skipper Williamson bags the catch at mid-off. India 145/5 (15 overs)
A wicket in each of the last three overs starting with Tickner. India now need 68 from five with Dhoni and Karthik in. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/khNlsa0sKC
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Hardik Pandya is the new batsman in!
# Wicket! Debutant Tickner has bagged his first-ever international wicket by helping New Zealand remove Pant for 28. Pant hits a full toss delivery from Tickner straight to Williamson at the edge of the ring at midwicket. The Men in Blue require 85 runs from 42 balls. India 128/3 (13 overs)
# Pant makes a positive start to his innings as he gets off the mark by scoring a boundary off a Santner delivery before concluding the over with a six. He then smashes Ish Sodhi for two sixes by first guiding the ball over long-off for maximum and then teeing off the last delivery of the 10th over to clear long-on. India 108/2 (10 overs)
# Rishabh Pant is the new batsman in for India!
# Wicket! Shankar, who was dealing with boundaries and sixes in India’s chase of 213 runs, fell just seven runs short of a half-century to depart for 43 runs. Shankar hits the third delivery of the ninth over from Santner straight to deep square, only to see de Granddhome take an impressive catch. India 92/2 (9 overs)
Another for Mitchell Santner! Vijay Shankar finds Colin de Grandhomme on the fence and he goes for a quickfire 43 off 28. 81/2 now in the 9th. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND = @PhotosportNZ pic.twitter.com/aw3V52izKc
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# India 76/1 (8 overs)
# Sharma and Shankar are now looking settled at the crease as they have built a little partnership to guide India past 50-run mark. The duo reaches the half-century stand when Shankar hits a slower length ball from Scott Kuggeleijn over mid-off for four runs. India 57/1 (6 overs)
50-run partnership between @ImRo45 & @vijayshankar260
Scorecard – https://t.co/hL4Vq4hUCv #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/1KqQdCDj1x
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
# 18 runs off the last two overs, including three boundaries. Rohit plays a cut short off Tim Southee’s delivery and the ball steers it past the keeper and goes straight towards the third man for a boundary.Shankar then pulls back two boundaries in the third over by first hitting a Scott Kuggeleijn delivery through the fine led before blasting down the ground for another four. India 29/1 (3 overs)
# Vijay Shankar is the new batsman in !
# Wicket! Big blow for India as they lost opener Dhawan in the very first over. Santner bowls a fuller delivery on the stumps and the Indian goes for a slog sweep to eventually end up giving a catch to Daryl Mitchell at deep midwicket. Dhawan departs for five runs.India 11/1 (1 over)
# Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan to begin India’s chase. Mitchell Santner kickstarts the proceeedings for New Zealand.
# Innings Break!
# New Zealand set a 213-run target for India in the third T20I! New Zealand 212/4 (20 overs)
Innings Break!
New Zealand post a mammoth total of 212/4 for #TeamIndia to chase.
Will India chase this down or will the Kiwis defend their total? #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/s4ShooR4NU
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
# Ross Taylor is the new batsman in!
# Wicket! Bhuvneshwar goes for a full delivery and wide outside off as de Grandhomme ends up getting a thin edge to give a catch to MS Dhoni behind the stump. The New Zealander departs for 30. New Zealand 193/4 (18.2 overs)
Bhuvi strikes. This is so wide, but de Grandhomme swings himself off his feet trying to get to it. Gets an outside edge and Dhoni does the rest.
NZ 193/4 in 18.2 overs #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/okeKasIQJw
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
# New Zealand 182/3 (17 overs)
# Daryl Mitchell is the new batsman in for New Zealand!
# Wicket! A short delivery outside off from Khaleel Ahmed saw Williamson come forward and go for a six, but the New Zealander ends up getting a top edge to hand Kuldeep a simple catch at short fine leg. New Zealand 151/3 (15 overs)
Kane Williamson doesn’t time a short delivery and catches it high on the bat off Ahmed to send a catch to short fine. 27 from 21. 150/3 with Daryl Mitchell joining Colin de Grandhomme in the 15th. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/wjtUzcQgmH
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Colin de Grandhomme is the new batsman in !
# Wicket! Kuldeep Yadav strikes again. India have claimed a big wicket in the form of opener Munro, who was looking strong at the middle and has managed to take New Zealand past 100 runs. Yadav’s second delivery in the 14th over tossed up outside off and Munro went for a slog sweep but failed to get the distance as Hardik Pandya takes a good catch at deep midwicket. New Zealand 140/2 (14 overs)
Yadav strikes again. Munro has to go for 72 from 40. His knock featuring some stunning strokes. 135/2 in the 14th as Colin de Grandhomme joins Kane Williamson. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/uafHWe0Azu
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Munro seems to be unaffected by Seifert’s departure as he brings up his ninth half-century off just 28 balls. The New Zealand opener achieves the feat by hitting a Krunal Pandya delivery over mid-wicket for a maximum. Meanwhile, Munro and Williamson have also managed to take the hosts past 100-run mark. New Zealand 118/1 (12 overs)
50 for Colin Munro! Comes up in the 11th over in 28 balls. 105/1 with Williamson 8* LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/BmYga29s2R
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# New Zealand 96/1 (10 overs)
# Wicket! Kuldeep Yadav has provided a much-needed breakthrough to India by removing Seifert for 43 runs. The Indian bowls a fuller delivery around off, propelling the New Zealand opener to come forward and allowing wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni to rattle the stumps. With this, Seifert and Munro’s huge 80-run stand comes to an end. New Zealand 83/1 (8 overs)
Tim Seifert’s flying start comes to an end. Dhoni’s fast hands behind the stumps off Yadav and a tight line call see him go for 43. 80/1 now in the 8th. LIVE scoring | https://t.co/UbFZKnA0Xh #NZvIND = @PhotosportNZ pic.twitter.com/30LH4lVXrq
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Seifert and Munro are looking solid at the crease as they combine to guide New Zealand past 50-run mark. The duo has added 28 runs in the last two overs, including two boundaries and two sixes. India, on the other hand, have brought in the Pandya brothers as they desperately look to bag a wicket. New Zealand 66/0 (6 overs)
#After a tight over from Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed proved to be quite expensive for India as he gave away 16 runs to New Zealand in the fourth over. Ahmed was first smashed by a four and a six by Seifert before the New Zealand opener pulls the final delivery of the over away to the backward square leg for another boundary. New Zealand 38/0 (4 overs)
# India bowl expensive first two overs, conceding a total of nine runs to the home side. While Seifert gets off the mark by hitting the first delivery from Kumar into the gap at midwicket, Munro opens his account by smashing a short delivery from the Indian bowler over the long-on for six runs. New Zealand 19/0 (2 overs)
# Tim Seifert and Colin Munro have walked down the crease to begin New Zealand’s innings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to start the proceedings for India, while Khaleel Ahmed to bowl from the other end.
# The two sides have walked down the crease for the national anthems.
# The Men in Blue have made just one change in the Playing XI. Kuldeep Yadav has been brought in place of Yuzvendra Chahal. For New Zealand, Blair Tickner has been given his maiden national cap and he replaces rested Lockie Ferguson in the line-up.
Blair Tickner is Twenty20 International #82 for New Zealand. Presented his cap by @CentralStags teammate Doug Bracewell. #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/h4RbSgH11P
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 10, 2019
# Lineups:
India XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed
New Zealand XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
# Rohit Sharma wins the toss and elects to bowl first in the decider!
Captain @ImRo45 calls it right at the toss and elects to bowl first in the series decider #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/oknkxbex7J
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
# India and New Zealand are all set to play the third T20I.
We’re back at the Seddon Park for the series decider #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/CJORsbIUa3
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2019
Having levelled the score 1-1 in Auckland, India will look to become the first team to seal a T20I series in New Zealand when they head into the third and final match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.
India, who came into the three T20Is on the back of their crushing 4-1 win in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, failed to continue their dominance and slump to a humiliating 80-run defeat in the opening T20I at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
However, the Men in Blue–led by opener Rohit Sharma in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli– went with an unchanged squad and they rebounded strongly to clinch a seven-wicket win at Eden Park in Auckland to equalize the three-match series.
Chasing a target of 159, Rohit led from the front and struck a quick-fire 50 off 29 balls while Shikhar Dhawan (30) and Rishabh Pant (40) also made significant contributions to help India cross the mark with seven balls to spare
Meanwhile, Indian bowlers too showcased an impressive performance, with Krunal Pandya bagging three wickets and Khaleel Ahmed, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar sharing four wickets among themselves to restrict the hosts for 158.
The visitors will now look to capitalize on their win and aim to end their month-long tour to New Zealand on a high note.
The Black Caps, on the other end, will definitely be keen to bounce back and seal the T20I series after having lost the ODIs against India.
The two squads are as follow:
India: Rohit Sharma(captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Siraj.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson(captain), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, James Neesham.
Source: Zee News