Riding on a blistering 100-run opening stand between Tim Seifert (62) and Devon Conway (44), New Zealand registered their first win of the five-match series against India, beating the hosts by 50 runs in the fourth T20I here on Wednesday.
Seifert (62 off 36 balls, 7×4, 3×6) was the standout Kiwi batter but he did not have enough followers to fully drive home the advantage after India opted to field first.
India’s Shivam Dube celebrates his half-century against NZ at Vizag on Wednesday
Seifert, who joined the team after appearing in the recent Big Bash League, did not hide his intention, smoking Arshdeep Singh for three fours in a row, although two of them were off edges.
But in the next over, the right-hander smashed Harshit Rana for a six over long-on, showcasing his muscle and timing.
In the pacer’s next over, Seifert eked out a six and four in successive balls before sending a Jasprit Bumrah delivery to the sight-screen for another maximum.
New Zealand reached fifty in the fourth over and ended the Powerplay at 71 for no loss.
Seifert’s frenetic innings also helped Devon Conway (44) to settle down and then have a go at the Indian bowlers.
After meandering to 9 off 9 balls, he found his range, plundering two fours and a six off Ravi Bishnoi.
Conway made 35 runs off the next 13 balls but soon holed out to Rinku Singh at deep cover off Kuldeep Yadav, as the home side snapped a 100-run opening wicket alliance.
In reply, India got off to a poor start, losing Abhishek Sharma for zero on the very first ball of the innings. Shivam Dube (23-ball 65, 3×4, 7×6) was the top-scorer for the hosts and brought India back into the game briefly.
However, with no other significant contribution besides Sanju Samson’s 24 and Rinku Singh’s 39, it was only a matter of time before the hosts were bowled out for 165 in 18.4 overs.
With a 3-1 lead, India have already won the series. The fifth match will be played on Saturday (January 31) at Thiruvananthapuram.
215-7
NZ’s second-highest T20I total against India, behind only 219-6 in Wellington in 2019
8.1
No. of overs taken by NZ to put up 100 runs — their fastest against India in T20Is and joint second-fastest by any team against India
25
No. of balls taken by Tim Seifert to reach his half-century — the joint-fastest for NZ against India in T20Is
71-0
NZ’s score at the end of the first Powerplay — their highest ever against India in T20Is
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