India’s hopes of inflicting a whitewash on New Zealand in the five-match T20I series were dashed at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
For three matches, India wielded full control over the proceedings as they did most of the hitting. But New Zealand hit back in style to reduce the series deficit to 3-1.
Glenn Phillips smashed 107 off 49 balls and Michael Bracewell 65 off 25 as the hosts piled up 259/7, their highest T20I total and the highest India have ever conceded. Jacob Duffy’s 4/23 then sent Shreyas Iyer’s men crashing to an 87-run defeat, their first on this tour.
Iyer won the toss again, and things seemed to follow an identical path when the hosts were reduced to 34/2 in the third over. But Finn Allen kept the momentum going and New Zealand reached 67/2 in the Powerplay, their best of the series.
At 112/4 in the 11th over, India were once again threatening to pull New Zealand back. But the floodgates opened as Phillips and Bracewell added 115 off just 40 balls, the fastest 100-plus stand ever made against India.
New Zealand struck 20 sixes in all, a record for them in T20Is, and took 150 runs off the last 10 overs.
Top-order fumble
India decided to leave out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as a fit Ishan Kishan returned to
the playing XI and Sanju Samson returned to the opening slot. However, the move didn’t pay off.
India’s batters have played this series as if they are immune to scoreboard pressure. But they felt it on Friday. Samson and Ishan were dismissed in the opening over and
Abhishek Sharma was tied down by balls at his pads. New Zealand were desperate not to give him freebies. He was out for 16 off 10.
Matt Fisher generated extra bounce and troubled Abhishek. Scoreboard pressure accounted for Iyer too. India lost four wickets inside the Powerplay and never seemed to be in the chase.
Despite a late assault by Naman Dhir, the asking rate was too much as the home bowlers struck the hard lengths and varied their pace.