Seifert 93 powers New Zealand to seven-wicket win over India in Hamilton

New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the fifth and final T20I in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1, as Tim Seifert struck 93 off 50 to help the hosts chase 192 in 18 overs.

Shreyas Iyer's India, despite earlier dominance in the series, suffered their second successive loss to finish the tour on a low note. This was the first game of the series in which India lost the toss and were asked to bat, and the fresh Seddon Park surface offered seam and swing that unsettled the visitors' top order.

India's innings collapsed early when Abhishek Sharma miscued Jacob Duffy to mid-on inside six balls and Sanju Samson followed with a leading edge off Michael Bracewell that was caught in the covers. Samson's dismissal was his fourth failure in the T20I series after he had begun with 67 in the opening match, and the absence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the line-up drew attention given the fixture's dead-rubber status. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer then steadied the innings, with Kishan reaching fifty in 28 balls and India 111/2 at the halfway mark.

The breakthrough after the drinks interval came when Blair Tickner and Nathan Smith used pace to remove both Kishan and Iyer, shifting momentum back to New Zealand. Adam Milne finished with 4/19 from his four overs, while Smith and Tickner picked up two wickets each as India were held to 191/8 in 20 overs. Fielding lapses were noted for the hosts across the series, and the report said New Zealand would need to examine standards as they build towards the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in their part of the world.

New Zealand lost Finn Allen in the second over but Seifert anchored the chase, supported by Daryl Mitchell (29 off 16) and Glenn Phillips, who produced a half-century after having earlier scored a century in the series. Phillips struck the final two boundaries in the 18th over—through fine leg and third man—to finish the chase and seal the win for Mitchell Santner's side.

India had won the first three T20Is in the series by winning the toss, bowling first and then chasing targets, but successive defeats in the last two games have left questions about selection and experimentation in non-critical bilateral matches. The coverage suggested India should reassess whether they are experimenting sufficiently and whether fear of losing is influencing their decisions.