India triumphs in T20 series decider

Set to score 68 for win in a reduced eight-over match, New Zealand fell short after the Indian bowlers kept a tight line. The visitors could manage only 61 for six in reply. 

New Zealand started well with Colin Munro hitting a six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the Indian speedster ended his first over successfully getting Martin Guptill bowled. Jasprit Bumrah was bang on target in the next over when he forced Munro to hit straight to Rohit Sharma. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav came on in the fifth over of the innings. Two wickets in that over made New Zealand’s task more difficult. First, Kane Williamson was run out with a direct throw by Hardik Pandya and then Glenn Phillips hit out to the deep and was caught by Shikhar Dhawan. 

New Zealand needed 32 runs from the last three overs when Chahal bowled a superb over conceding only three runs. 

Bumrah came back for the penultimate over and struck with the first ball sending back left-handed Nicholls caught by Shreyas Iyer at backward square-leg. The Kiwis needed 19 runs in the last over bowled by Pandya who kept his cool and saw India home. 

Earlier, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan started tentatively as Trent Boult bowled a tight first over over. India could manage only seven runs with a skied four by Dhawan. Mitchell Santner tested Rohit in the second over with a ball that spun across the bat and almost bowled him. Seven more runs in the second over meant that India had to do something out of the ordinary to reach a total of 100. 

Dhawan tried to go over the top and skied a catch off Tim Southee to Santner in the third over. Off the next ball, Southee dismissed Rohit who went for a big shot over squareleg and holed out to Santner. Three overs and 18 for two did not present a promising match for the home side. 

Virat Kohli lifted the run rate with a a six and four off Ish Sodhi, who had the last laugh when he had the Indian captain caught in the deep for 13 in the same over. India ended up at 67/5.

INDIA: R Sharma c Santner b Southee 8, S Dhawan c Santner b Southee 6, V Kohli c Boult b Sodhi 13, S Iyer c Guptill b Sodhi 6, M Pandey c de Grandhomme b Boult 17, H Pandya (not out) 14, MS Dhoni (not out) 0. Extras: 3. TOTAL (for five wickets in 8 overs) 67. FOW: 1-15, 2-15, 3-30, 4-48, 5-62. BOWLING: T Boult 2-013-1, M Santner 2-0-16-0, T Southee 2-0-13-2, I Sodhi 2-0-23-2. 

NEW ZEALAND: M Guptill b B Kumar 1, C Munro c Sharma b Bumrah 7, K Williamson (run out) 8, G Phillips c Dhawan b Kuldeep 11, C de Grandhomme (not out) 17, H Nicholls c Iyer b Bumrah 2, T Bruce (run out) 4, M Santner (not out) 3. EXTRAS: 8. TOTAL (for six wickets in 8 overs) 61. FOW: 1-8, 2-8, 3-28, 4-28, 5-39, 6-48. BOWLING: B Kumar 2-0-18-1, J Bumrah 2-0-9-2, Y Chahal 2-0-8-0, Kuldeep 1-0-10-1, H Pandya 1-0-11-0.