Seifert 93 powers New Zealand to fifth T20I win after falling 0-3 behind India

New Zealand recovered from a 0-3 deficit to win the final two matches of the five-match T20I series against India in New Zealand, finishing the contest with a seven-wicket victory in the fifth T20I on Sunday.

India took an unassailable 3-0 lead after the first three games, with the third T20I in Wellington highlighted by Abhishek Sharma’s century and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s big hitting that secured a six-wicket win with 40 balls to spare. Seifert said New Zealand had been competitive earlier in the series in Christchurch and lamented that they had not converted those close positions: "Walking away from Christchurch, we could have easily been 2-0 up or at least one-all," he said. "We were close in Christchurch. It's just about winning those little margins when the game is on the line."

Tim Seifert led the chase in the fifth T20I, scoring 93 off 50 balls as New Zealand chased down India's 191 for eight inside 18 overs to record a seven-wicket victory. "Great to finish the series with a nice knock. But as I say, it would have been nice to do it a little bit earlier when the series was on the line," he said.

Seifert credited the team’s improvement to lessons taken from earlier matches and said both departments adapted to conditions: "I think it was the learning from the previous games. It's just about winning those little margins when the game is on the line. I think the bowlers, the batters have stepped up and adapted to the wickets that we've played on," he said.

The opener had managed only two runs in Wellington before producing the series-closer, and he acknowledged a personal disappointment at narrowly missing a first international hundred: "The main thing is to win. But at the same time, that monkey is still on my back when it comes to getting my first international hundred. So you're still a little bit devastated about that," he said.

New Zealand’s bowlers played a key role in the final win, with Adam Milne taking 4 for 19 as the attack exploited a slower surface. On the conditions and Milne’s performance Seifert said: "It was a little bit on the slower side of the wicket. So, it was all about using those slower balls. Milne bowed absolutely outstandingly," Seifert said.

The two late victories gave New Zealand a better finish to the series, but they could not erase the early damage; India had already sealed the series with their 3-0 lead. "On the whole, it was a good series for us, but obviously, unfortunately, we didn't win," Seifert said.