Seifert and Phillips steer New Zealand to final T20 win as India take series 3-2

New Zealand beat India by seven wickets in the fifth and final Twenty20 international at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1. Tim Seifert scored 93 and Glenn Phillips made an unbeaten 65 as the hosts reached 195-3 in 18 overs in reply to 191-8. India nevertheless finished with a 3-2 series victory, according to the ICC's match report.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G97NL6SF6J8

Seifert's 50-ball innings contained 11 fours and five sixes, while Phillips struck eight fours and three sixes from 38 deliveries, New Zealand Cricket's archived scorecard shows. Their contributions left New Zealand with two overs unused. Daryl Mitchell added 29 from 16 balls, and Bevon Jacobs was unbeaten on one when the chase ended, with seven wickets still available.

The ICC reported that Seifert and Phillips put on 86 for the third wicket. Seifert survived an early dropped chance and reached his half-century in 34 balls before accelerating towards a possible first T20 international hundred. Nitish Kumar Reddy ended that attempt by bowling him for 93. Phillips stayed to complete the chase, striking the winning boundary through third man.

Earlier, New Zealand chose to field and Adam Milne delivered the best bowling figures of the match, taking 4-19 from four overs. The official archive names him player of the match. Nathan Smith returned 2-28 and Blair Tickner took 2-38, accounting for India's other four wickets. India were 19-2 before Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer rebuilt the innings.

Kishan made 61 from 32 deliveries and Iyer contributed 50 from 23, with both batters clearing the boundary repeatedly. The scorecard records five sixes for Kishan and four for Iyer. Their third-wicket partnership added 93, taking India to 112 before Kishan's dismissal. Naman Dhir supplied 33 from 23 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy added 22 from 17 as India finished their full 20 overs eight wickets down.

Phillips also completed a personal milestone. According to the ICC, his series aggregate of 341 surpassed Phil Salt's 331 for the most runs in a five-match bilateral T20 international series. The teams now move to one-day cricket, with a five-match ODI series scheduled to begin on November 4.