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Patna : India beat New Zealand (NZ) by 7 runs in the 5th T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Manganui, NZ, on February 2, 2020, to win the five-match series 5-0, the first against the hosts. Lokesh Rahul was declared Player of the Series for scoring 224 runs in 5 matches.
Chasing a target of 164 runs, NZ scored 156/9 in 20 overs despite a 34 run over bowled by all-rounder Shivam Dubey, the most expensive over bowled by an Indian bowler in a T20I. Ross Taylor and Tim Seifert (wk) hit him for two sixes each in that over. It was 10th over of the NZ innings. NZ were 98/3 after 10 overs but could score only 58 runs in the next 10 overs.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was back to his best in this match, took 3/12 in 4 overs while fellow fast bowler Navdeem Saini took 2/23 in 4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah was declared Player of The Match.
Fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who took two wickets in his third over, the 17th of the innings, finished with 2/28. NZ spinner Ish Sodhi hit Thakur for 2 sixes in his 4th over, the 20th over of the innings, spoiling his figure. NZ required 21 runs in the last over but could score only 13 runs. Spinner Washington Sundar took 1/20 in 3 overs.
NZ had lost their first three wickets for 17 runs only. Opener Martin Guptil fell to Bumrah for 2 in 2nd over making it 7/1. Colin Munro fell to Washington Sundar for 15 and it was 17/2. Tom Bruce was run out at the same score for a duck and it was 17/3.
But, Tim Seifert (wk) and Ross Taylor rallied the team back into the match with a 99 run stand for the 4th wicket. Seifert fell to Navdeep Saini for 50 in 30 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes and it was 119/4. Daryl Mitchell too fell to Bumrah for 2 making it 119/5. Spinner Mitchell Santner fell to Shardul Thakur for 6 and it was 131/6.
Fast bowler Scott Kuggeleign also fell to Thakur in the same over for duck making it 132/7. Ross Taylor fell to Saini for 53 in 47 balls hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes and it was 133/8. Captain Tim Southee fell to Bumrah for 6 and it was 141/9. Lokesh Rahul, who led the team following injury to captain Rohit Sharma while batting, made good bowling changes barring that Shivam Dubey over.
Earlier, electing to bat after winning the toss, India scored 163/3 in 20 overs with captain Rohit Sharma, the Hit-Man, scoring an unbeaten 60 in 41 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes, his second successive fifty in the series. He retired following calf injury and India lost momentum after that finishing 20 runs short of a competitive target.
Opener Lokesh Rahul (wk) scored 45 in 33 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. His opening partner Sanju Samson fell to Kuggeleijn for 2 while Shivam Dube fell to Kuggeleijn for 5. Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 33 in 31 balls hitting 1 four and 2 sixes though he failed to accelerate the scoring rate in the last few overs. Manish Pandey remained unbeaten on 11 in 4 balls with a four and a six.