IND vs NZ 3rd T20I: Hardik Pandya's India clinch T20I series by 1-0 after 3rd outing ends in tie
IND vs NZ 3rd T20I: The Indian cricket team on Tuesday clinched the three-match T20I series against the New Zealand side by 1-0. The third T20I was curtailed when rain interrupted India's chase of 161 runs. The Indian team was on 75/4 after 9 overs as the heaven gates opened. As per the DLS method, the game ended in a tie giving India a 1-0 win.
The match witnessed brilliant bowling by the Indian team. They were asked to bowl first and were right on the money as they scalped two early wickets. However, things went south for India when Conway and Phillips combined to stitch an 86-run stand. The duo smashed the fifties but the Men in Blue made a brilliant return after sending both batters back. The Kiwis got bundled like a pack of cards as India bowled them out for 160 in 19.4 overs. Mohammed Siraj and Arshdepp Singh took 4 wickets each.
Coming into the chase, the Indian team was jolted with consecutive blows. It was looking bleak for India to win the match but the rain gods favoured the Indian side. Rain returned after the 9th over. The DLS par score was 75 and India were exactly on that. This meant the match ended in a tie.
For his brilliant bowling in the first innings, Siraj was awarded the player of the match award. Whereas Suryakumar Yadav, who was outstanding in the second T20I was named player of the series. Notably, this is the third occasion where New Zealand have been left blank in the T20I series against India. The Men in Blue defeated the clean-swept Blackcaps in 2020 by 5-0 and then by 3-0 in 2021. The 2020 series was played in the home of New Zealand while the 2021 series was held in India.
The two teams now head to the ODI setup. The Indian team will be led by Shikhar Dhawan as the senior players will be resting. The first ODI will be played in Eden Park, Auckland on 25th November.
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