IND vs NZ | Kishan and Surya continue to pile misery as India notch up comfortable win in high-scoring game

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

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India beat New Zealand by 46 runs in the fifth and final T20I in Trivandrum on Saturday. Ishan Kishan led a power-packed batting display with his maiden century to power the side to 271/5, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up eight wickets between them to end the series 4-1.

Ishan Kishan and Arshdeep Singh celebrate a dismissal against New Zealand in the fifth T20I in Trivandrum
‌Ishan Kishan made a case for his inclusion in the playing eleven for the upcoming World Cup with a swashbuckling maiden T20I century against New Zealand in the fifth and final game in Trivandrum. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 10 sixes and six fours during his whirlwind 43-ball 103 to power the side to a commendable 271/5, before Arshdeep Singh returned a five-wicket haul to complete an emphatic 46-run victory that saw them end the series with a 4-1 margin.

Abhishek Sharma got going in his trademark style after India opted to bat first at the Greenfield International Stadium, with a six and two boundaries in Jacob Duffy’s first over. Though local boy Sanju Samson looked out of sorts before being dismissed by Lockie Ferguson, the southpaw raked in the big hits to push the host close to the 50-run mark in the fifth over. Once the other opener was also dismissed, the in-form pair of Kishan and Surya continued to haunt the Kiwis. The pair targeted the spinners, who came in from both ends after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Soon, Kishan completed his half-century with a boundary off Ish Sodhi before going berserk with three more fours and two sixes in the same over to plunder 29 runs. The Indian skipper was not to be left behind as he also completed his fifty with another big over that saw him smash three sixes off Duffy. The pair added 137 runs for the third wicket off just 58 balls as India inched closer to the 200-run mark with more than five overs to spare. Kishan reached the three-figure mark in style with consecutive sixes off Mitchell Santner in the 17th over, while Surya supported excellently with six sixes and four fours to hit 63 off 30 balls. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya’s entertaining cameo of 42 off just 17 balls, which included four maximums, took India to a gargantuan total. On an evening where all the Kiwi bowlers went for 10 runs an over or more, Ferguson picked up 2/41 in his four overs, while Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, and Santner had a wicket each.

Allen got the visitors off to an impressive start despite losing his opening partner Tim Seifert in the first over. He smashed six fours and a six in Arshdeep Singh’s first two overs before welcoming Varun Chakravarthy into the attack with a six and a four to take the side to a dominant 79/1 at the end of the powerplay. But all of that lasted only till his 100-run association with Rachin Ravindra before Allen was dismissed for 80 in 38 balls, a knock which included six sixes and eight fours. Though Ravindra held on with a useful knock of 30 in 17 balls, he could not prevent the visitors slipping from 117/1 to 137/5. A similar attempt lower down the order from Daryl Mitchell (26) and Ish Sodhi (33) helped the side past the 200-run mark, but it was not enough against an imposing total. The Kiwi innings finally folded out for 225 with two balls to spare, with Arshdeep slightly expensive, conceding 51 runs for his five wickets, and Axar Patel ending with figures of 3/33.

Final one!

Messiah

LOL

Permanent

So cruel

Tense

Locked

Speechless

Super

Sad

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