In a final official rehearsal before the T20 World Cup, India’s batting prowess returned to full strength. Behind a maiden T20I century from Ishan Kishan and a career-first five-wicket haul from Arshdeep Singh, India crushed New Zealand by 46 runs at the Greenfield Stadium to wrap up a dominant 4-1 series victory.
India’s innings was a tale of two halves. After a sluggish start-reaching only 82/2 after nine overs, the match descended into a relentless blur of six-hitting.
Ishan Kishan, returning from a niggle, went berserk to score 100 off 42 balls, reaching the milestone with two consecutive sixes off Mitchell Santner.
India hit 23 sixes, the joint-most in their T20I history.
Suryakumar Yadav (63 off 30) and Hardik Pandya (42 off 17) ensured the momentum never dipped, with the team scoring at a staggering 17.18 runs per over in the back half.
New Zealand's pursuit was led by an electrifying Finn Allen, who brought his BBL-leading form to the crease. Allen smashed 80 off 38 balls, at one point shredding Arshdeep Singh for 21 runs in an over.
However, the magnitude of the 272-run target forced the Black Caps into a meltdown. Axar Patel provided the breakthrough by removing Allen, and Arshdeep returned for a more precise second spell. He unleashed a wicked yorker that demolished the stumps of Daryl Mitchell, completing his first international five-for.
The Thiruvananthapuram crowd was left forlorn as local star Sanju Samson perished for just 6 off 6 balls. His struggle with a closed bat-face and stiff legs has plagued him throughout the series.
Crucially, Kishan took over wicketkeeping duties for this match, a strong signal that the management is looking to finalize their primary gloveman for the World Cup. With Abhishek Sharma (avg 40, SR 195) doing the heavy lifting at the top, India is still searching for a consistent partner to unburden him.
