India won the three-match T20 series 1-0 after the third match resulted in a draw by the Duckworth Lewis method because of rain interruptions.
The third T20I between India and New Zealand, which was plagued by rain, concluded in a tie on Tuesday at McClean Park according to the DLS technique, giving India a 1-0 series victory over New Zealand. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, two Indian seamers, put on a spectacular performance in Napier, picking up a total of eight wickets as India bowled out New Zealand for 160. Here is how the game unfolded after stand-in New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the toss and decided to bat first.
India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I – Match Summary
By removing Finn Allen for three runs in the second over of the innings, Arshdeep gave India an early breakthrough. Conway and Chapman stabilized the Kiwi innings before Siraj removed Chapman for 12, leaving them 44-2 at the end of the powerplay. With brilliant half-centuries, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips put New Zealand in a commanding position, adding 86 runs together for the third wicket to take the Kiwi’s inning to 130-2. Team India was able to regain control of the game with a four-wicket haul from Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. From that point on, the blackcaps lost eight wickets for 30 runs, finishing at 160 all out without using all their allotted 20 overs.
India’s pursuit of a 161-point objective got off to the worst possible start when Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer all perished as a result of bad shot selections. India placed their hopes on Suryakumar Yadav, the finest T20 batsman in the world, and skipper Hardik Pandya. The pair made an effort to keep the Indian inning from getting out of hand and added 39 runs in 22 balls before SKY was, unfortunately, dismissed by Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi. Hardik Pandya (30) and Deepak Hooda (9) appeared in excellent shape before the rain interrupted the match. The game couldn’t continue because of the constant downpour that pelted McLean Park. In accordance with DLS, 76 would have been the winning score after 9 overs, but Hardik’s side only managed to reach 75 and the match was ruled a tie.
Arshdeep and Siraj, India’s shinning stars and Kiwi’s worst nightmare
In the third Twenty20 match between India and New Zealand, Mohammed Siraj was once again at his menacing best and caused a collapse. Siraj started off by taking the wicket of debutant Mark Chapman. While the Kiwis did have a good start, the 28-year-old was at his most efficient form, giving the hosts nothing but disappointment throughout his spell. Siraj returned in the 16th over and caught Phillips off guard with a quick bouncer, ending Conway and Phillips’ strong partnership.
To conclude with a spell of 4/17, he ultimately dispatched James Neeshama and Mitchell Santner in the final overs. Arshdeep Singh also took four wickets for 37 runs, further establishing his status as India’s death-over expert. The youngster has taken on the responsibility brilliantly in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence and managed to pick up frequent wickets to keep things tight. Arshdeep picked off Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, and Ish Sodhi to derail the New Zealand inning to 149-9.
India getting prepped for the ODI series
After landing in Auckland, Team India, captained by Shikhar Dhawan, immediately got to work with their first practice before the ODI series. Team India will play three ODIs against the Kiwis starting on November 25 and ending on November 30. It would be fascinating to see if Sanju Samson and Umran Malik, who were left off during the T20I series, can make it into the starting XI for ODIs now that players like Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur have also rejoined the team.
Indian ODI team: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (VC and WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik