NZ v India 3rd T20I: India seals series after rain forces tie

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 India claimed the three-match T20I series 1-0 against host New Zealand after the third game ended in a tie thanks to relentless rain at the McLean Park forced an early end to the game on Tuesday.

After opting to bat, New Zealand posted 160 in 19.4 overs and in response India was on 75 for four in nine overs when rain gods came visiting.

The toss and play was delayed thanks to rains since morning. Finally when it cleared up a bit, New Zealand won the toss.

New Zealand was well served by two partnerships. First Devon Conway (59: 49b, 5x4, 2x6) added 35 runs for the second wicket with Mark Chapman. Then Conway joined forces with Glenn Phillips (54: 33b, 5x4, 3x6) to add 86 runs for the third wicket. But when Phillips fell with the score on 130, it opened the floodgates. Thereafter there was a collapse. New Zealand slipped from 146 for three to 149 for nine. In the end New Zealand were bowled out for 160 in 19.4 overs. For India the best bowlers were Arshdeep Singh (4-37) and Mohammed Siraj (4-17).

In their response, India lost their opener Ishan Kishan fell early. India was struggling at 21 for three. Then captain Hardik Pandya (30 not out) and Suryakumar Yadav added 39 runs for the fourth wicket. Rain started falling just as Yadav exited the scene. India was neck and neck at this stage with the DLS par score. Off the last ball of the ninth over, Pandya almost refused a single. But a Mitchell Santner misfield allowed Deepak Hooda and Pandya to run through for a single to allow India to level the DLS par score of 75. In the end India finished on 75 for four in nine overs. Rain forced players to move out of the field and they could never resume action. This meant that the game ended in a tie and India won the series 1-0. For New Zealand stand-in captain Tim Southee was the best bowler with figures of two for 27.

Match Summary
New Zealand: 160 (19.4)
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Finn Allen-1.3 ov), 2-44 (Mark Chapman-5.2 ov), 3-130 (Glenn Phillips-15.5 ov), 4-146 (Devon Conway-16.4 ov), 5-147 (James Neesham-17.1 ov), 6-149 (Mitchell Santner-17.5 ov), 7-149 (Daryl Mitchell-18.1 ov), 8-149 (Ish Sodhi-18.2 ov), 9-149 (Adam Milne-18.3 ov), 10-160 (Tim Southee-19.4 ov)

India: 75-4 (9)
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Ishan Kishan-1.6 ov), 2-21 (Rishabh Pant-2.4 ov), 3-21 (Shreyas Iyer-2.5 ov), 4-60 (Suryakumar Yadav-6.3 ov)

SCORECARD  

Playing XI
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (captain), Lockie Ferguson

India: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya (captain), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Match Details
Toss: New Zealand, elected to bat
Venue: McLean Park, Napier
Start time: 0630 hrs GMT
Match officials: Chris Brown, Chris Gaffaney (On-field Umpires); Wayne Knights (TV Umpire); Kim Cotton (Reserve Umpire); Jeff Crowe (Match-referee)

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