Hamilton, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips produced outstanding batting performances as New Zealand defeated India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park on Sunday, chasing down a target of 192 with 12 balls to spare.
Although India clinched the five-match series 3-2 after winning the first three matches, New Zealand finished on a high by securing victories in the last two games.
Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 29 deliveries, registering his fourth half-century of the series and creating a new record for the most runs by a batter in a bilateral T20I series.
The New Zealand batter finished the series with 341 runs, surpassing England’s Phil Salt, who had accumulated 331 runs in a five-match T20I series against the West Indies in 2023.
Seifert provided the foundation for the successful chase with a blistering 93, while his 86-run partnership with Phillips for the third wicket effectively took the contest away from India.
New Zealand suffered an early setback when Finn Allen was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh in the second over. However, Seifert and Daryl Mitchell steadied the innings, taking the hosts to 59/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Varun Chakravarthy provided India with a breakthrough by dismissing Mitchell in the ninth over, but Phillips joined Seifert and continued the aggressive approach.
The pair added 86 runs from just 42 deliveries, pushing New Zealand to 138/2 by the end of the 13th over.
India managed another breakthrough when Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed Seifert for 93 with 29 runs still required. However, Phillips ensured there were no further complications, reaching his fourth half-century of the series before guiding New Zealand across the finishing line in the 18th over.
Earlier, India posted 191/8 after half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.
Kishan scored 61 off 32 deliveries, while Iyer contributed 50 as the duo added 93 runs for the third wicket after India lost Abhishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4) cheaply.
Naman Dhir added a useful 33 runs, while Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 22 as India attempted to build a competitive total.
However, New Zealand’s bowling attack prevented the visitors from crossing the 200-run mark. Adam Milne was the standout performer, claiming four wickets for 19 runs in his four overs. Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner picked up two wickets each.
Brief Scores: India 191/8 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 61, Shreyas Iyer 50; Adam Milne 4/19, Nathan Smith 2/28) lost to New Zealand 192/3 in 18 overs (Tim Seifert 93, Glenn Phillips 65 not out; Nitish Kumar Reddy 1/19, Arshdeep Singh 1/40) by seven wickets. India won the five-match series 3-2.
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