17-Year Drought Ends! New Zealand Beat India Twice in a Row, But Lose Series 3-2

India may have clinched the five-match T20I series 3-2, but New Zealand ensured the visitors did not leave with a clean finish, registering a seven-wicket victory in the fifth and final match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday. It was New Zealand's second consecutive win after losing the first three matches, ending a 17-year wait for back-to-back T20I victories over India in a bilateral series.

New Zealand chased down India's target of 192 in just 18 overs, finishing at 195 for three with 12 balls to spare. It was their highest successful T20I chase against India. Tim Seifert narrowly missed his maiden T20I century, smashing 93 off 50 deliveries, including 11 fours and five sixes, before being dismissed by Nitish Kumar Reddy. Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 65 off 38 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, and struck the winning boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Daryl Mitchell also contributed 29 off 16 balls.

India's fielding came under scrutiny after Seifert was dropped on 13 by Naman Dhir in the fourth over. The opener capitalised on the reprieve, going on to produce a match-defining innings.

Phillips finished the series with 341 runs, setting a new record for the most runs by a batter in a bilateral T20I series, surpassing England's Phil Salt, who had scored 331 in 2023. His five scores were 82 not out, 70, 17, 107 and 65 not out, including one century and three half-centuries. He was named Player of the Series.

Earlier, India recovered from a disastrous start to post 191 for eight in their 20 overs. After losing openers Abhishek Sharma (1) and Sanju Samson (4) cheaply, Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer put on a 93-run partnership. Kishan smashed 61 off 32 balls, while Iyer made 50 off 23 deliveries.

Naman Dhir added a valuable 33 off 23 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed 22 off 17 to help India cross the 190-run mark. New Zealand's Adam Milne led the bowling attack with four wickets for 19 runs, while Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner claimed two wickets each. Milne was named Player of the Match.

The two sides will now turn their attention to the five-match ODI series, beginning on November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland.