India lost the final Twenty20 International of the three-match series against New Zealand on Sunday (February 10) by 4 runs, ending the tour with a 1-2 series loss.
Chasing 213 to win, India could only muster 208 as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. A 63-run partnership between Dinesh Karthik (33*) and Krunal Pandya (26*) almost did the job for the visitors but it wasn’t enough in the end.
Needing 16 to win in the final over of the match, Karthik started with a double before playing out two dot balls – one of which saw Karthik deny Krunal a single – that eventually ended any slim hopes they might have had of emerging victorious.
India’s chase got off to the worst possible start as they lost Shikhar Dhawan in the very first over.
Vijay Shankar joined Rohit Sharma out in the middle and the two proceeded to put together a 75-run partnership, with the former being the more aggressive batsman.
Vijay regularly found the boundary and looked set for a big score but fell on 43 when he holed out to Colin de Grandhomme off Mitchell Santner.
This brought out Rishabh Pant who made a promising start to his innings, smashing a six and two fours in his first three balls.
However, the pressure of the asking rate got to him as well and he was caught by Williamson to give Blair Tickner his maiden wicket in T20Is.
Hardik Pandya also started his innings with a flourish, smashing two sixes and a four early in his innings but India were struck another blow when Rohit departed after edging a wide ball, giving Tim Seifert a simple catch behind the stumps. Rohit had struggled to get going all through, managing just 38 off 32.
Pandya and Dhoni departed shortly thereafter, leaving the visitors at 145/6 with less than 5 overs remaining that proved a mountain too high to climb despite Karthik and Krunal’s heroics.
Put in to bat first after India won the toss , New Zealand openers Tim Seifert and Colin Munro didn’t hold back, with the latter smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six in the third ball of the innings.
Seifert would join the party in the next over, hitting Khaleel Ahmed for a boundary. The two would continue finding the boundary regularly.
India would get a much-needed breakthrough thanks in no small part to MS Dhoni’s brilliance as he swiftly stumped Seifert off Kuldeep Yadav.
But the wicket did not stop the home team batsmen from looking for the big shots. Kane Williamson played a supporting role as Munro continued to take apart the Indian bowling attack.
Munro finally perished in the 14th over after mishitting one off Kuldeep to give Hardik Pandya a simple catch but New Zealand already had 135 runs on the board by then.
Williamson was the next to depart. He smashed 2 fours of Khaleel but a slower ball saw him top edge one to Kuldeep, prompting a fiery celebration from the pacer.
However, de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell took over the task and the two added 43 runs for the fourth wicket.
De Grandhomme (30) smashed 3 fours and a six in 16 balls but edged one to Dhoni chasing a wide delivery from Bhuvneshwar.
Ross Taylor came out and scored a quick-fire 14 to ensure the Kiwis’ innings ended with a flourish.