SportsCricket
New Zealand crush India by 87 runs at Eden Park after piling up 259
Sent in on a rain-hit day in Auckland, the hosts made 259 for seven and held India to 172 for nine. India, who sealed the series in Wellington on Tuesday, still lead 3-1.
Key points
- New Zealand beat India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I at Eden Park on Friday.
- Sent in by Shreyas Iyer, the hosts made 259 for seven, and India replied with 172 for nine.
- India, who sealed the series in Wellington, lead 3-1 before Sunday's final match in Hamilton.
New Zealand hit back in Auckland on Friday, beating India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I at Eden Park and ending a run of three straight defeats in the series.
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field on a day when rain hung over the ground. It did not work. New Zealand’s batters made 259 for seven in their 20 overs, leaving India to chase almost 13 an over from the first ball.
India never got close. They batted through their 20 overs but finished on 172 for nine, and the margin was by far the widest of the four matches so far.
Series already settled
The defeat does not change the outcome of the series. India sealed it in Wellington on Tuesday, when they chased 199 in just 13.2 overs, winning by six wickets with 40 balls to spare. That came after two close wins in Christchurch: a four-wicket chase of 226 with two balls left, and a four-wicket chase of 181 with one ball left.
For Mitchell Santner’s side, the win was a first of the series and a timely boost, with five one-day internationals against the same opponents still to come.
What comes next
The T20I series ends in Hamilton on Sunday, 1 November, at 8 pm local time (12:30 pm IST). The ODIs begin in Auckland on 4 November, with further games in Wellington, Hamilton and two at Mount Maunganui. Two Tests follow, in Wellington from 19 November and Christchurch from 27 November.