New Zealand won by seven wickets with 12 balls remaining against India in the fifth T20I on Sunday, November 1, with Player of the Match Adam Milne taking four wickets and Tim Seifert driving the chase with 93. The hosts reached 195/3 in 18 overs to overhaul India’s 191/8, although India secured the five-match T20I series 3-2.
Milne’s four wickets keep India within reach
India built their total around Ishan Kishan’s 61 and Shreyas Iyer’s 50, while Naman Dhir contributed 33. Those three innings supplied 144 of India’s 191 runs, giving the visitors a substantial total to defend.
New Zealand’s wicket-taking response was decisive. Milne claimed four wickets, with Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner taking two apiece. Between them, the trio accounted for all eight Indian wickets, ensuring that the half-centuries from Kishan and Iyer did not translate into an imposing total beyond 200.
Milne’s contribution earned him the individual award, but New Zealand still needed a forceful batting performance to finish their T20I campaign with consecutive victories.
Seifert and Phillips lead an emphatic chase
Seifert supplied the defining innings of the pursuit, scoring 93 as New Zealand chased a target of 192. Glenn Phillips added 65, giving the hosts two substantial contributions, while Daryl Mitchell made 29.
Seifert and Phillips contributed 158 runs between them. Their scoring left India unable to turn their three wickets into sustained pressure, and New Zealand completed the chase with two full overs to spare.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy took one wicket each for India. Those breakthroughs were not enough to prevent New Zealand from reaching 195/3, a convincing response to a target that demanded a scoring rate of 9.6 runs per over.
Key performers
- Adam Milne: Four wickets and Player of the Match, leading New Zealand’s attack.
- Tim Seifert: A match-high 93 to anchor the successful pursuit.
- Glenn Phillips: 65 in New Zealand’s seven-wicket victory.
- Daryl Mitchell: 29 in the chase.
- Ishan Kishan: India’s highest scorer with 61.
- Shreyas Iyer: 50, with Naman Dhir contributing 33.
- Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner: Two wickets apiece for New Zealand.
- India’s wicket-takers: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy claimed one wicket each.
NerdSports Stat: Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips scored 158 runs between them — 81.0% of New Zealand’s winning total of 195.
India take the T20I series despite New Zealand’s late surge
India had already secured the T20I series by winning the opening three matches: two tight four-wicket victories with two balls and one ball remaining respectively, followed by a six-wicket win with 40 balls to spare.
New Zealand responded with an 87-run victory in the fourth T20I and backed it up with this authoritative chase. The result narrowed India’s final winning margin to 3-2; it neither levelled the series nor changed its winner.
The India tour of New Zealand 2026/27 now moves into five ODIs, beginning on Tuesday, November 3, with further matches on November 6, 9, 12 and 14. Two Tests follow, starting on November 18 and November 26.
Frequently Asked Questions
New Zealand won the match by seven wickets with 12 balls remaining, reaching 195/3 in reply to India’s 191/8.
Adam Milne was named Player of the Match for taking four wickets.
India won the completed five-match T20I series 3-2. New Zealand won the final two matches after India took an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Tim Seifert top-scored with 93 runs for New Zealand.
New Zealand and India next meet in the opening ODI on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
