Visakhapatnam T20: New Zealand registered a convincing 50-run victory over India in the fourth T20 match played at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Chasing a challenging target of 216 runs, India were bowled out for 165 in 18.4 overs.
Batting first after losing the toss, New Zealand put up a strong total of 215 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Opener Tim Seifert played an aggressive knock and scored 62 runs, while Devon Conway supported well with 44 runs. The Kiwi batters maintained a good scoring rate throughout the innings, especially in the final overs.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets each, but the bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs in the death overs.
In reply, India’s chase got off to a poor start as early wickets put the team under pressure. Shivam Dube then provided hope with a brilliant counter-attacking innings. He smashed 65 runs off just 23 balls and brought up his half-century in only 15 deliveries. However, his promising knock ended in disappointment as he was run out in the 15th over.
Rinku Singh scored 39 runs, while Sanju Samson added 24, but the required run rate was too high. India eventually fell short and were bowled out well before the final over.
Visakhapatnam T20: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner led from the front with the ball, taking three important wickets. Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi claimed two wickets each, while Matt Henry and Zak Foulkes picked up one wicket apiece. One Indian batter was also run out during the chase.
With this win, New Zealand regained a 3-1 lead in the five-match T20 series. The final match of the series will be played on January 31 in Thiruvananthapuram, where India will look to end the series on a positive note.
Shivam Dube’s half-century off 15 balls is now the third fastest by an Indian batter in T20 internationals, behind Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma.
