India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20: India flower in short shootout

Thiruvananthapuram: India edged New Zealand by six runs to clinch the T20I series 2-1 after the decider was curtailed to eight overs per side following a rain delay at the Sports Hub at Karyavattom here on Tuesday.

Sport, like life, can be unfair at times and one might wonder if justice was served to the capacity crowd at a stadium that was making its international debut, and to the teams who had deserved a proper showdown to decide the series outcome.

Put into bat, India lost early wickets but still raised 67/5 in eight overs. New Zealand, in reply, finished at 61/6. With 19 required off the final over, Colin de Grandhomme attempted a late rescue with a huge six but it wasn’t enough as Hardik Pandya survived with 11 runs from his only over.

Earlier, India had managed to make the most of a slow, gripping wicket to post a fighting 67/5 with Manish Pandey top-scoring 17 off 11.

A two-hour rain delay that reduced the match had promised fireworks from the off, but the Kiwi bowlers managed to restrict the hosts with regular breakthroughs.

Changes were natural after the pitch inspection was delayed by more than one-and-a-half hours from the scheduled 7pm start and while Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav were included by the hosts, Tim Southee made a surprise return after losing his spot to Adam Milne in Rajkot.

Incidentally, it was Southee who crippled India’s innings just as it was emerging. His penchant for bowing off-cutters proved decisive and after Shikhar Dhawan threw away his wicket, skying a slower delivery, Rohit Sharma was offered a short-ball, which was also gracefully gulped down by Santner.

Virat Kohli greeted Ish Sodhi with a punch that pierced deep-midwicket and long-on and he then launched the Ludhiana-born leggie straight over for the match’s maiden six. But the India skipper perished playing another big one in the same over and Sodhi heaved a sigh of relief as Boult held on to a catch in the deep.

With the ball stopping and bouncing at will, Sodhi was a risky opponent to take on and soon after Manish Pandey had scooped a nicely looped delivery over long on he was tempted for another. The result was different though as Guptill caught the mishit.

An act of acrobatics is always due when the Kiwis are in field and a combination of Mitchell Santner and Grandhomme completed one of the spellbinding moments of the series. Pandey, who had appeared in great touch, pulled a short one off Boult and as Santner, on the rope, was diving for his third catch of the evening, he lost balance and threw it down the throat of his team mate.

Scores: India 67/5 (Manish Pandey 17, Tim Southee 2/13) bt New Zealand 61/6 (Colin de Grandhomme 17 n.o., Jasprit Bumrah 2/9).