NZ vs IND: 5th T20I Review – Another choke from New Zealand gives India 5-0 triumph
India completed a 5-0 whitewash over New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I encounter played at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. The hosts were once again in a dominant position at one stage but the Indians clawed back wonderfully to secure another victory. The home side has now conceded three defeats despite having an upper hand. Jasprit Bumrah won the Man of the Match award for his incredible spell of 3/12. KL Rahul became the Man of the series for his contribution in front and behind the stumps.
Also read: Ranji Trophy 2019-20: Seventh round highlights – Sarfaraz continues runathon
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma take India to a competitive total
India persisted with Sanju Samson as the opener but he once again failed to grasp the opportunity. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma then added 88 runs for the second wicket thus setting a strong base for the middle order to go berserk. However, Rahul’s dismissal (45 from 33 balls) and Rohit’s calf injury (60 from 41 balls) exposed India’s fragile middle order. Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube struggled to find regular boundaries. With Manish Pandey providing late impetus (11* from 4 balls), India managed to post 163/3 in their 20 overs.
Bumrah thwarts Seifert-Taylor plans
Martin Guptill fell early as Bumrah trapped him in front of the stumps. His partner Colin Munro tried plenty of shots and was castled by Washington Sundar. With the run out of Tom Bruce, New Zealand were tumbling down at 17/3.
However, Tim Seifert and Ross Taylor took up the rebuilding job. After going quiet for a few overs, they bashed Shivam Dube for 34 runs in a single over. Suddenly the Black Caps were favourites but it also sparked their downfall. Navdeep Saini dismissed Seifert and then Bumrah piled up pressure with his deadly bowling. Despite best efforts from Ish Sodhi in the end, the home team fell five runs short of the target.
Congrats #TeamIndia for a thrilling series victory with an impregnable win by 5-0. pic.twitter.com/nzIrfntPMT
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 2, 2020
