11/01/2026 05:03:00
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11/01 05:01 CST New Zealand wins the 5th T20 by 7 wickets but India wins the
series 3-2
New Zealand wins the 5th T20 by 7 wickets but India wins the series 3-2
HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) --- Tim Seifert made 93 from 50 balls and Glenn
Phillips passed 50 for the fourth time in the series Sunday as New Zealand beat
India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20 international.
India won the series 3-2.
Seifert and Phillips put on 86 for the third wicket as New Zealand ran down
India's total of 191-8 with two overs in hand.
Ishan Kishan made 61 from 32 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer 50 from 23 to put
India in a strong position at the midpoint of its innings, but later batters
added only 80 runs in the last 10 overs.
Seifert seemed bound for his maiden T20 international century when he chopped a
ball from Nitish Kumar Reddy onto his stumps with 24 runs needed for victory.
Phillips had been happy to play in Seifert's shadow but when his partner was
out, he stepped up and finished unbeaten on 65 from 38 balls as New Zealand won
convincingly.
Phillips' 341 runs in the series included a century and three half-centuries
and was a record for a five-match bilateral series.
"The calmness and composure I've had is a nice feeling," Phillips said. "I
tried to go out there with a clear mind and play every ball on its merits and
try to go out there and be a little more of the hunter and a little less of the
prey."
India fails to capitalize
India failed to fully capitalize on the superb partnership between Kishan and
Iyer that repaired the India innings after the loss of openers Abishek Sharma
(1) and Sanju Samson (4), who both fell to Adam Milne inside the first four
overs.
Kishan and Iyer added 93 from 43 balls for the third wicket, putting India in a
powerful position at 111-2 after 10 overs.
The pair preyed particularly on spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael
Bracewell, taking 27 runs from Bracewell in the 10th over. Santner was making
his 143rd T20 appearance, a record for New Zealand.
Kishan reached his half-century from 28 balls with four fours and four sixes,
while Iyer's first half-century of the series came from only 22 deliveries with
four sixes and three fours.
Both players were aided by New Zealand's poor catching and fielding.
Kishan fell in the 11th over, hoisting a ball from pacer Blair Tickner directly
to mid-wicket and Iyer followed in the next over, top-edging a pull shot to
wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.
India's scoring rate slowed as it slipped to 133-5 but Naman Dhir and Nitish
Kumar Reddy enlivened proceedings again, sharing 46 runs from 30 balls for the
sixth wicket.
Milne was superb, taking 4-19 from his four overs while Bracewell conceded 38
runs for just two overs.
The teams meet in the first match of a five-match one-day series at Auckland on
Wednesday.
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