New Zealand won the match by 50 runs, on the back of a commanding all-round performance.
New Zealand finally unearthed the recipe to overcome the Indian hurdle, as the visitors handed the Men in Blue a comprehensive defeat in the IND vs NZ 4th T20I in Visakhapatnam. Tim Seifert started off the proceedings with a blazing fifty, which was coupled with a cameo from Daryl Mitchell.
In reply, the hosts could not get anywhere close to the total, as their experiments to play a batter short failed. However, Shivam Dube lit up the stadium with some great hitting, but that was not enough for the Indians to make the score line 4-0.
Here are a few Hits & Flops from the 4th T20I between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam:
The result of the penultimate T20I of the five-match series had a lot to do with the change in approach that the New Zealanders put into effect. The visitors registered their best powerplay score in the T20I series so far – getting to 71/0 in the initial six overs.
Their attacking intent was visible right from the word go, as Devon Conway and Tim Seifert both went berserk since the first over. Even though they lost wickets in the middle-overs, the Kiwis did not let that affect their attacking intent – something that they need to do frequently (by getting their batting order right, in the first place).
Shivam Dube walked out to bat like he owned the place. And he almost gave India a glimmer of hope with his sumptuous stroke-play. However, the fact that he displayed his heroics in the second innings of the match should not come as a surprise.
In the 30 matches that Shivam Dube has batted first in, he averages a mere 19.04 with a strike-rate of 137.82. In comparison to that, when the left-hander has a target in front of him, his average soars to 82.50, striking at 166.66. To add to that, his batting against pace has seen multiple improvements, the most important of which would be his balance while connecting the ball.
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Tim Seifert came out all guns blazing, and had an attacking intent from ball one. He edged two deliveries in the very first over, which both turned out to be boundaries. However, the Indians either did not study or not complete their homework regarding the strengths of the Kiwi batter.
Following are Tim Seifert’s strike-rates against pace in the IND vs NZ 4th T20I, with respect to various lines.
| Strike-rate | 200 | 313 | 40 | 300 |
| Line | Nearing wide line | Outside Off | Within the stumps | On the legs |
The Kiwi opener is extremely difficult to control with deliveries outside the off-stump, and that is exactly what the Indian bowlers fed him with in the IND vs NZ 4th T20I. However, it was evident that the wicketkeeper-batter was struggling with deliveries within the stumps.
It has eventually become a fact that the wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala is not quite helping his own case ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup 2026. But the string of his low scores in the four matches of the series so far is the tip of the iceberg. The problem is deeper, and more technical.
The image on the left is Samson’s dismissal from the third T20I, and the right one happens to be the dismissal from the fourth T20I. In both the dismissals, the wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala seems to be stuck in his crease, with absolutely no footwork.
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