Ishan Kishan’s maiden T20I century, Arshdeep Singh’s five-for power India to 4–1 series win over New Zealand
New Delhi: Ishan Kishan’s explosive maiden T20I century made up for Sanju Samson’s yet another failure as, combined with Arshdeep Singh’s five-wicket haul, guided India seal a comfortable 46-run win over New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I on Saturday at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The victory helped India clinch the series 4-1 and wrap up their T20 World Cup preparations on a positive note.
India posted a massive total of 271/5, thanks to Kishan’s 103 off 43 balls and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire 63 off 30.
New Zealand showed flashes of resistance but were all out for 225. For India, Arshdeep Singh delivered a sensational spell as he claimed a fine five-wicket haul conceding 51 runs.
After giving away 40 runs in his first two overs while dismissing Tim Seifert, Arshdeep turned the game around by picking up four wickets in his next three overs for just 11 runs.
Finn Allen led the charge with an impactful knock of 80 off 38 balls, but the daunting target always remained out of New Zealand’s reach. The right-hander smashed Arshdeep Singh two fours and a six in the opening over of New Zealand’s innings.
Allen continued the onslaught in Arshdeep’s next over, smashing 4, 4, 6, 4 and 4 to score a total of 23 runs.
He brought up his sixth T20I half-century in just 22 balls before being dismissed by returning left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3/33), breaking a 100-run second-wicket stand with Rachin Ravindra, who scored 30 off 17 deliveries.
In fact, the spin duo of Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy (1/36) played a key role in putting the brakes on New Zealand after the Powerplay. Once Finn Allen was dismissed, the chase lost momentum, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
Sanju Samson’s struggles continued as he managed just six runs, recording his fifth consecutive failure in the series before falling to Lockie Ferguson. Meanwhile, Kishan later took up wicketkeeping duties, offering a glimpse into the team management’s thinking ahead of the ICC event starting next week.
Abhishek Sharma provided some early momentum with a quickk 30 off 16 balls, but was undone by Ferguson’s extra pace as India endured a relatively quiet powerplay, reaching 54 for two.
Having missed the fourth T20I due to an unspecified injury, Kishan returned in an outstanding form, tormenting the New Zealand bowlers with his quick hands and agile footwork.
The left-hander began his assault by dispatching Ferguson for a four and a six in the very first over, and the boundaries kept coming relentlessly.
Kishan reached his fifty in just 28 balls with a boundary off Ish Sodhi, while Suryakumar Yadav also crossed the milestone in two fewer deliveries, smashing a six off Jacob Duffy to do so.
Ishan soon reached the cherished three-figure mark in 42 balls, a six off Santner took him to 97 and the subsequent one carried him past the landmark, which he celebrated with gusto before melting into Hardik Pandya’s bear hug.
The Kishan show finally ended when he was taken at square leg by Glenn Phillips off Duffy, and walked back to the hut accompanied by cheers and whistles.
Pandya’s strong hits (42 off 17 balls) towards the end ensured that India went past the 250-run mark for the fourth time in their T20I history.