New Zealand vs Bangladesh 2019: 1st ODI, Napier - Match Prediction
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New Zealand was able to seal the T20I series as they won the decider of the T20I series by four runs. Krunal Pandya and Dinesh Karthik gave a glimpse of hope when 59 runs were required off the last four overs. However, New Zealand death bowlers were able to keep calm as they got the over the line by the skin of their teeth to clinch India vs New Zealand 2019 T20I series.

India vs New Zealand 2019: New Zealand Innings:

New Zealand posted a par score of 212 runs after Indian captain won the toss and decided to put the opposition in. The host’s openers Tim Seifert and Colin Munro gave an ideal start to their team as they were able to hit the ground running. In fact, Colin Munro cleared his intentions from the get-go as he smashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar straight over his head for a maximum on the first ball he faced.

Colin Munro, New Zealand vs India 2019
Colin Munro scored 76 off 40 balls in the final T20I in Hamilton. Image Courtesy: Getty

Tim Seifert who had scored a blistering knock of 84 runs in the first T20I continued his good form going. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 43 off just 25 balls with the help of three fours and as many sixes. The right-hander made most of the powerplay conditions and scored his runs with a brisk pace.

Both the New Zealand openers added 66 runs in the first six overs to give another good start to their side. The Kiwis openers added 80 runs for the opening stand. However, the opening partnership was ended when Tim Seifert was bamboozled by Kuldeep Yadav’s wrong one.

Seifert could not read the goggly and took a big stride forward. However, MS Dhoni was alert and took the bails in a jiffy to send back his counterpart. Dhoni took only 0.099 seconds to get rid of the bails and Seifert felt prey to Dhoni’s brilliance behind the stumps.

MS Dhoni, India vs New Zealand 2019
Players congratulate MS Dhoni. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

On the other hand, Colin Munro continued to smash the Indian bowlers all around the ground. The combative southpaw had a reprieve when Khaleel Ahmed fluffed a simple catch when he top-edged a ball against Hardik Pandya when he was on 60. However, the left-hander could add another 12 runs to his tally as he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav.

Meanwhile, Kane Williamson and Colin Munro added 55 runs for the second wicket. Colin de Grandhomme gave a threshold to the New Zealand innings with his 16-ball 30. The right-hander had also scored a blistering fifty in the previous match. Furthermore, Daryl Mitchell scored a quickfire knock of 19 runs from 11 balls.

On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he scalped two wickets and gave away only 26 runs in his four overs quota. Moreover, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed took one wicket each. However, both of them were on the expensive side.

In fact, the Pandya brothers were taken for 98 runs in their eight overs. Krunal Pandya who was India’s hero in the previous match was clobbered for 54 runs in his four overs spell. Furthermore, Hardik Pandya claimed an unwanted record as he conceded 131 in the three-match series, which is the most for any Indian bowler in a series.

India vs New Zealand 2019: Host's Clinch T20I Series After Thrilling Decider
New Zealand’s batting

India vs New Zealand 2019 – India’s innings:

Indian innings didn’t start on a good note as they lost their opener Shikhar Dhawan in the first over. Dhawan found Daryl Mitchell in the deep as he could not hit the ground running. The trust was once again shown in the abilities of Vijay Shankar as he was promoted to the number three position in India vs New Zealand 2019 series.

Shankar once again looked to clear the infield with the lofted shots. In fact, the right-hander thwarted Ish Sodhi for two sixes on the trot. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder was able to clear the extra-cover boundary and then slog sweep the leg-spinner for another boundary.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma adopted a cautious approach. Shankar mistimed one against Santner as he dismissed for a good knock of 43 runs from 28 balls.

Khaleel Ahmed, Kane Williamson
Khaleel celebrates Kane Williamson’s wicket. Image Courtesy: Getty

DK and Krunal Pandya gave a ray of hope.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant was able to hit the ground running from the get-go. Pant catapulted his attack on the opposition bowlers as soon as he arrived at the crease. The combative southpaw batsman smashed three sixes and one four in his blistering knock 12-ball 28.

However, the pugnacious batsman could not clear Kane Williamson at mid-wicket. Rohit Sharma tried to unleash himself as he chased a wide ball. However, the Indian captain could only manage an outside edge.

Hardik Pandya scored an 11-ball 21 but lose control of his bat as well as of his shot to give another catch to Kane Williamson. MS Dhoni could not get going as he was dismissed for only two runs.

However, Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya were able to turn the tables in India’s favor. DK led India’s comeback as he timed the ball with perfection. Krunal also followed his partner’s footsteps.

India vs New Zealand 2019: Host's Clinch T20I Series After Thrilling Decider
India’s batting

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