Seifert’s 93 Powers New Zealand to Final-T20I Win as India Take the Series 3-2

New Zealand finished their T20I series against India with a flourish in Hamilton on Sunday, chasing down 192 with 12 balls to spare to win the fifth and final match by seven wickets. Tim Seifert, short of runs coming into the game, blasted 93 off 50 balls to lead the fastest successful chase of 190 or more against India in T20Is.

India had posted 191 for 8 after being asked to bat first, built around rapid half-centuries from Ishan Kishan (61 off 32) and captain Shreyas Iyer (50 off 23). The pair added 93 for the third wicket, but Adam Milne's 4 for 19 dragged the innings back and kept the total within reach.

Seifert and Glenn Phillips then took charge of the chase. Phillips finished unbeaten on 65 off 38 balls, taking his series tally to 341 runs — a new record for a bilateral T20I series — and sealing back-to-back wins for the hosts to close the leg. India still lifted the trophy, having won the first three matches, and the sides now meet in a five-match ODI series starting in Auckland on Wednesday.

Phillips' record series

Phillips passed England's Phil Salt (331) as the highest scorer in a bilateral T20I series, with a century and three fifties across the five games. His consistency was the one constant in a series full of big individual innings.

One eye on the ODIs

New Zealand will take real confidence from two straight wins into the 50-over leg, while India will want their death bowling — loose at times throughout the T20Is — to tighten up on Wednesday.

Source: ESPNcricinfo / Reuters