New Zealand Beat India by 7 Wickets in 5th T20I at Hamilton, India Take Series 3-2

New Zealand finished the T20I series with a strong statement, beating India by seven wickets in the fifth and final match at Seddon Park, Hamilton. Chasing a target of 192, the hosts reached 195 for 3 in 18 overs, winning with 12 balls to spare.

The win was New Zealand's second in a row at the end of the series, after they had fallen 3-0 behind. India, though, had already sealed the five-match series by winning the first three games, and finished as 3-2 series winners.

Tim Seifert led the chase with a blistering 93 off 50 balls, falling seven runs short of a century. Glenn Phillips stayed unbeaten on 65 off 38 balls, finishing the series with 341 runs, the most by any batter in a bilateral T20I series.

India post 191 despite Kishan and Iyer fifties

Put in to bat, India were struggling at 19 for 2 before a 93-run partnership between Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan steadied the innings. Kishan made 61 and captain Iyer scored 50, laying the base for a competitive total.

Adam Milne was the pick of New Zealand's bowlers, taking four wickets for 19 runs and stopping India from crossing 200. Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner took two wickets each as India closed on 191 for 8 in 20 overs.

Seifert and Phillips take charge of the chase

New Zealand started slowly and lost opener Finn Allen in the second over, but Seifert grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. The 31-year-old hit 11 fours and five sixes in his 93, before a thick inside edge off Nitish Kumar Reddy crashed into his leg stump.

Phillips then took the side home, hitting eight fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 65. His series tally of 341 runs took him past the previous bilateral T20I series record of 331.

Focus now shifts to the ODI series

The two sides will now turn to one-day cricket, with the first of five ODIs set for Eden Park, Auckland, on November 4. India will want to carry their series-winning form into the longer white-ball format, while New Zealand will take confidence from their late fightback.

For India, the Hamilton defeat was a second straight loss after dominating the early part of the tour, but the series trophy still goes home with Shreyas Iyer's side. New Zealand, meanwhile, restored some respect to the scoreline in front of their home crowd.