Introduction
The third T20I between New Zealand and India in Napier ended in a tie. Chasing 161 to win in a match that had already been affected by rain, India had reached 75/4 in their reply, when the heavens opened once more at McLean Park in Napier.
After a wait of some time, the umpires decided that no further play was possible and the games was called off, with the scores level according to the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) methodology.
That meant that India had won the series by one match to nil, following their 65 run victory in the second T20I at the Bay Oval in Tauranga. The first match in Wellington had been a complete wash out.
Match recap
Drizzle pushed back the start of the match and the toss but, when play did finally get underway, it was Tim Southee deputising for the absent Kane Williamson as New Zealand captain, who decided to bat first.
India enjoyed early success with the ball when Arshdeep Singh had Finn Allen leg before for just thee, before Mohammad Siraj accounted for Mark Chapman, who had taken Williamson’s place in the side.
However, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips then combined in a stand of 86 for the third wicket and, whilst they were at the crease together, it looked like the home side were going to post a big score.
The dismissal of Phillips by Siraj for 54, including 3 sixes changed all that, with the last 8 wickets falling for the addition of just 30 runs.
Siraj enjoyed a fine match taking 4 – 17, whilst Singh also took 4 wickets, albeit that he was more expensive.
With rain threatened, India were hoping to score quickly, but were rocked by the loss of three quick wickets, including that of Suryakumar Yadav, suffering a rare failure by his recent high standards, out for just 13. However, Hardik Pandya, playing a captain’s innings, got them back on track, and, by the time the rain returned for good, had got his side back to parity.
He was undefeat6ed on 30, with Deepak Hooda at the other end on 9 not out.
History equalled
It was the third time that a T20I match had ended in a tie. Both the previous occasions occurred last year, firstly in a game between Netherlands and Malaysia in Kirtipur, and then when Malta and Gibraltar faced each other in Marsa.
Key talking points of the series
A boost to Indian morale
After the comparative disappointment of the World Cup, winning the series was a boost to Indian morale, even if the way that the weather intervened means that they did not get as much playing time as they would have liked, especially further down the batting order.
They still have not solved fundamental problems like how to score more from the powerplay overs, but that is an issue of approach which requires a more fundamental makeover.
Pandya stakes his claim
With a changing of the guard of the Indian selectors found their World Cup exit, and an indication from the BCCI that they are considering split captaincy in the future, this was a chance for Hardik Pandya to stake his claim to the T20I job.
In the circumstances, he could hardly have done more, and if they are looking to hit the reset button, this may be the ideal opportunity.
New Zealand makes uncertain start to new future
With Trent Boult and Martin Guptill not considered for this series, this was meant to be a fresh start for New Zealand in T20I cricket. It did not go as they had hoped. They were both out cheaply in the second match, and there will be concerns about the way that the middle and lower order imploded in this match.
Kyle Jamieson, out with a long term knee injury, remains a big miss as far as their bowling is concerned.
What happens next
Now it is the time to switch to the ODI format, with three matches beginning in Auckland on Friday. Shikhar Dhawan will take over as Indian captain and whilst many players from both sides will also feature in that series, others like Pandya will be heading home for a rest.
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