Virat-led India (Ki)win the series

India made no changes to their playing eleven.

New Zealand made just one change to the eleven that last played the Indians – Blair Tickner made way for Scott Kuggeleijn.

On winning the toss, Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s skipper, inserted the visitors.

The Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. Their openers put on 69.

India put on 50 off 5.3 overs (33 balls). New Zealand hadn’t conceded any extras at that point. While the contribution of Rohit, the player of the (Shar)match, to the partnership was 36, Lokesh Rahul’s contribution to it was 19.

Rahul, whose 19-ball (Col)innings included a couple of boundaries and a six, eventually scored 27. Nine overs into the match, he was caught by Munro. Colin de Grandhomme broke the 89-run partnership.

Sharma’s half-century – which included five boundaries and three sixes – came off 23 balls. He eventually scored 65 off 40 balls, which included half-a-dozen boundaries, in addition to the aforementioned number of sixes. Ten balls later, he was caught by Tim Southee. Hamish Bennett broke the five-run stand.

Shivam Dube had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he scored just three. A couple of balls later, he was caught by Ish Sodhi. Bennett broke the run-a-ball stand.

India scored 100 off 12.1 overs (73 balls). New Zealand had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Shreyas Iyer, whose 16-ball innings included a six, scored 17. Half-a-dozen balls later, he was caught by Tim Seifert. Mitchell Santner broke the 46-run stand.

India scored 150 off 17.5 overs (107 balls). New Zealand had conceded three extras at that point.

Virat Kohli, India’s skipper, scored 38. His 27-ball innings included a couple of boundaries and a six. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Southee. Bennett broke the 18-run stand.

Manish Pandey, whose six-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored 14. He was unbeaten.

Ravindra Jadeja, whose five-ball innings included a six, was unbea‘ten’.

New Zealand eventually conceded five extras. India scored 179 for the loss of five wickets off 20 overs.

Kuggeleijn, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 10. He was wicketless, as were Southee and Sodhi, who bowled four wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 39, the latter conceded 23.

De Grandhomme, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 13. He picked up a wicket, as was Santner, who bowled four overs, conceding 37. Bennett, who bowled four overs, conceded 54. He picked up three scalps.

The Powerplay of New Zealand’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 51, and lost a wicket.

Guptill, whose 21-ball (Mart)innings included a couple of boundaries and three sixes, scored 31. Thirty-four balls into the chase, he was caught by the substitute, Sanju Samson. Shardul Thakur broke the 47-run stand.

New Zealand scored 50 off 5.5 overs (35 balls). India had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point.

Munro, whose 16-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 14. Four balls after Guptill’s dismissal, he was stumped by Rahul. Jadeja broke the five-run stand.

Santner, whose 11-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. Twenty-six balls later, Yuzvendra Chahal broke the 36-run stand.

New Zealand scored 100 off 12.4 overs (76 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave India no reason to be in seventh heaven.

Williamson’s half-century – which included four boundaries and three sixes – came off 28 balls.

The fourth-wicket pair put on 50 off 30 balls. While Williamson’s contribution to the partnership was 44, de Grandhomme’s contribution to it was five. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a run.

De Grandhomme, who faced a dozen balls, didn’t add to the aforementioned score. Thirty-two balls after Santner’s dismissal, he was caught by Dube. Thakur broke the 50-run stand.

New Zealand scored 150 off 17 overs (102 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave India no reason to be in seventh heaven.

Williamson, whose 48-ball innings included eight boundaries and half-a-dozen sixes, eventually scored 95. Twenty-one balls after de Grandhomme’s dismissal, he was caught by Rahul. Mohammed Shami broke the 41-run stand.

Ross Taylor, whose 10-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored 17. Three balls later, Shami broke the one-run stand.

Seifert, who faced a couple of balls, didn’t get off the mark. He was unbeaten.

India eventually conceded eight extras. New Zealand scored 179 for the loss of six wickets off 20 overs. The match ended in a tie. Dube, who bowled an over, conceded 14. He was unbeaten, as was Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled four overs, conceding 45.

Chahal and Jadeja bowled four overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 36, the latter conceded 23. Thakur, who bowled three overs, conceded 21. He picked up a couple of scalps, as did Shami, who bowled four overs, conceding 32.

The match was decided by a Super Over.

While Bumrah bowled it for India, Williamson and Guptill faced it for New Zealand, and scored a run apiece off the first two balls.

Williamson scored a six off the third and a boundary off the fourth.

Bumrah conceded a bye off the penultimate ball, and Guptill scored a boundary off the last ball.

New Zealand scored 17 without the loss of a wicket off their Super Over.

India were set a target of 18.

Sharma and Rahul walked out to face Southee.

Sharma scored a couple off the first ball, and a single off the second.

Rahul scored a boundary off the third ball, and a single off the fourth.

Sharma scored sixes off the last two balls.

India scored 20 without the loss of a wicket off their Super Over, winning the eliminator.

As a result of that, the visitors led the five-match series 3-0. In fact, they won the series with a couple of matches to spare.