India vs New Zealand 5th T20I Highlights: Tim Seifert, Glenn Phillips blitzkreig help NZ win; IND seal series 3-2

Glenn Phillips stayed put to the crease as he guided New Zealand to a comfortable win by 7 wicket with 2 overs to spare. He finished with 65 and then broke the record of scoring the most runs in a single T20I bilateral series. This was the second win on the trot for New Zealand. However, India's hat-trick of wins in the first three T20Is ensured that they won the series 3-2.

What a series Glenn Phillips is having. After scoring a century in the last game, the New Zealand star has once against slammed a fifty - his fourth of the series. With boundaries coming left, right and centre, it is now only a matter of time before the Kiwis win the match.

Phillips is in a hurry to close out the match. He clobbers two sixes against Varun to bring the equation down to run a ball.

New Zealand 163/2 in 15 overs

Varun is taken to the cleaners, and this time Phillips is leading the fireworks. He smashes three boundaries in Varun's third over in the match, while Seifert gets a fourth as 18 runs come off the over. En route, Phillips now has 298 runs in this series -- most for New Zealand in a bilateral T20I rubber, surpassing Mark Chapman’s 290 runs in Pakistan in 2023

New Zealand 138/2 in 13 overs.

Surprise change in attack! Abhishek Sharma, left-arm orthodox, handed the ball. Starts with a loose ball and Seifert helps himself with a four through fine leg. He also scores a six on the fifth ball.

Seifert is single-handedly keeping the chase alive for New Zealand. He scored back-to-back fours as well in the next over against Arshdeep.

New Zealand 120/2 in 12 overs

He was short of runs all through the series. He now reached the half-century mark off 34 balls, scooping a six off Nitish Reddy behind the keeper.

New Zealand 96/2 in 10 overs

Mitchell is shocked. Abhishek is claiming it and the umpire ends it upstairs to decide the fate. Oh..yes. He got the fingers underneath the ball cleanly. There is no doubt about that. Chakaravarthy gets the crucial breakthrough and New Zealand's 73-run stand ends. Mitchell goes back for 29 off 16.

New Zealand 82/2 in 8.3 overs

Third over from Bhuvi in the powerplay and Seifert, who has been short of runs in this series, goes for a four and then back-to-back sixes in three straight balls. That's brutal for the Indian. This is the same batter who was dropped by Naman Dhir a few overs back. That was a straightforward catch. 37 runs have since been scored by the hosts.

Four to end the over, and 20 runs came off the over.

New Zealand 59/1 in 6 overs

First change in attack, and Prince Yadav is welcomed with back-to-back sixes from Mitchell. 14 runs came from the over.

New Zealand 39/1 in 5 overs

This partnership was their pride in T20 cricket, able to match the fire of Abhishek and Samson. They showed that in the first match itself, stitching a 31-ball 49 partnership. But then managed 27 off 33 across the next four innings.

Meanwhile, for Arshdeep, this was his 65th powerplay wicket against a Full Member nation in T20I cricket, matching Tim Southee. But Arshdeep has it in 99 innings, 20 fewer than Southee.

Arshdeep takes the first wicket, and he gets rid of Allen. He was undone by the variable bounce. The batter ends up slicing the ball, and Ishan takes it nicely as he moves across to square leg. He falls for 2 off 3.

New Zealand 10/1 in 1.5 overs

Just one lucky boundary, from Seifert. In this series, he registered an economy rate of just 4.57 in the first over of the innings.

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are at the crease. The former takes strike. Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes the new ball

Like New Zealand in the first three T20Is, India too lose their shape in the second half of their innings. The boundaries kept challenging the batters' range, leading to frequent dismissals as a result of which India never gained any death-over momentum.

Bhuvneshwar…flicks it off the wrist for a four against Milne through the leg side. And then falls on the next ball. Slower one this time, angles it towards the leg, and the batter couldn't time the shot. Daryl Mitchell takes it comfortably at long-on. 4th wicket in the match for Milne.

That was pace-on and fuller. Nitish is deep inside the crease, and ramped it over midwicket, but couldn't get the distance. Glenn Phillips takes the catch.

India 185/7 in 19.2 overs

Gets a big leading edge as Dhir looked to heave it over backward square, but the ball flies over the boundary for a six. Tickner, however, gets rid of Dhir a delivery later. Knuckle ball it is. There was a deception and Bracewell takes the catch. Dhir goes back for 33 off 23.

That was the 14th dropped catch from New Zealand in the series. This time, Naman Dhir survives, and Adam Milne is the perpetrator. Fielding has been quite frustrating for New Zealand all throughout. Dhir responds with a four on the next ball.

India 152/5 in 16 overs

Nathan Smith strikes again, dismissing Tilak Verma as Finn Allen takes a fine catch at backward point. New Zealand are celebrating...this has been a crucial passage of play. But wait...it's a no-ball and Tilak is called back.

The disappointment doesn't last long for Smith. Tilak falls a delivery later. Short ball, crammed for space and the batter top edges this one and Smith takes the catch himself. He points towards the umpire -- asking is that a legal delivery. It's a legal delivery indeed.

India 133/5 in 13.4 overs

Nathan Smith has struck for the second time in his second successive over, and he gets the man he had dropped earlier. Iyer top-edges, and the wicketkeeper takes it comfortably.

India 123/4 on 11.3 overs

50 off 22 for the skipper! Comes at the right time. Gets to the mark with a four against Nathan Smith.

Finally, a wicket for New Zealand. They heave a sigh of relief. Tickner redeems himself with the dismissal. Ishan looks to heave, but doesn't connect properly, and it goes straight to Nathan Smith at deep mid-wicket. He goes back for 61 off 32.

6, 4, 6, and dropped catch – it's all happening. Iyer goes bang, bang against Bracewell, taking him to the cleaners in the first three balls, before surviving a dropped catch. Fielding has been New Zealand's issue throughout the series, but these were perhaps the simpler ones Tickner dropped. Ishan then wrapped up the over with a six and a four, 27 runs from the over.

India reaching 100 in the 10th over despite losing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson early once again highlights the depth of their hitting prowess. And dropping Shreyas Iyer like that was New Zealand basically shooting themselves in the foot

India 111/2 in 10 overs

Stunning innings. He brings it up with a six against Santner. Off the middle of the bat and it came right into his arc as well. What a shot over long-on and what a knock it has been thus far.

India 84/2 in 9 overs

That could have turned out to be a magnificent catch, and ends up being a six. He launches that first delivery after the powerplay straight towards long-on. Finn Allen leaps, takes the catch with both hands, and then throws the ball back into the air just as his body is about to land over the boundary. However, reviews showed that the right toe touched the ground while the ball was still in his hand. Hard luck for Allen. Ishan survives, and that's a six.