New Zealand snapped India’s dominance with a commanding 50-run victory in Visakhapatnam, powered by Tim Seifert’s explosive half-century and Mitchell Santner’s clinical spell, but the triumph came only as a consolation with India having already secured the T20I series.
The visitors piled up a formidable 215 for 7 before dismantling India for 165 in 18.4 overs, controlling the contest despite a breathtaking late assault from Shivam Dube that briefly threatened to turn the game on its head.
Seifert set the tempo early, Santner dictated the middle overs, and New Zealand closed out the night with authority to cut the series deficit to 3-1.
New Zealand’s innings began with pure aggression.
Seifert went on the offensive from the first over, tearing into the Indian quicks and racing to 46 runs inside the powerplay as boundaries flowed freely. Devon Conway added stability with a composed 44, while Daryl Mitchell provided the finishing punch at the death, helping the visitors smash 47 runs in the final three overs to surge past the 200-mark.
Though Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh struck in the middle phase, India never fully stemmed the run flow.
India’s chase faltered almost immediately
Early wickets disrupted rhythm, and the required rate quickly spiralled beyond reach as Santner’s tidy left-arm spin squeezed the scoring options.
Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi chipped in with timely breakthroughs, reducing the hosts to 82 for 5 and effectively placing the game beyond them.
Then came Dube’s fireworks
The all-rounder launched one of the most ferocious counterattacks seen this series, smashing Sodhi for 29 in an over and rocketing to a 15-ball fifty, India’s third-fastest in T20Is, with towering sixes that electrified the crowd.
For a fleeting moment, the impossible seemed possible. But his run-out at the non-striker’s end ended the resistance, and India’s lower order crumbled soon after. Santner finished with 3 for 26, Duffy claimed two, and New Zealand wrapped up a morale-boosting win.
Yet the bigger picture remains unchanged, with India still comfortably ahead after sealing the first three matches.
For the visitors, it was a statement performance; for India, a rare off night in an otherwise dominant series.
