Team India defeated New Zealand by 46 runs in the fifth and final T20I on Saturday, January 31 in Thiruvananthapuram. Following the one-sided affair, the hosts won the series 4-1.
India won the toss and decided to challenge themselves by batting first. They achieved a phenomenal 271/5, and it appeared that they could go even further. The Black Caps, led by Finn Allen’s scorching 80, gave their all in the chase. However, they were always going to fall short in ideal batting conditions.
On that topic, here are two Indian players who underperformed and one who stood out in the fifth T20I against New Zealand.
3. Flop – Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t generally feature on the wrong side of these lists. But on Saturday, the ace spearhead ended up being carted for 58 in his four overs and went wicketless.
In doing so, Bumrah ended up conceding the most runs in a single over in his T20I career. Finn Allen and Daryl Mitchell were among those who took a liking to the usually miserly speedster. It’s a performance he will want to put behind him quickly, even though the conditions offered him very little assistance.
2. Star – Ishan Kishan
Reinstated in the playing XI after a niggle forced him to miss the fourth T20I, Ishan Kishan left nothing to chance. The explosive southpaw smashed his maiden international century, virtually cementing his place in India’s T20 World Cup lineup.
Kishan took a few balls to settle in, but there were no demons in the surface. The left-hander went hard at Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, putting the former under real pressure with his bowling changes. He was equally ruthless against pace, repeatedly finding the leg-side boundary.
While Kishan’s keeping wasn’t up to the mark, his brilliance with the bat stood out as a major positive for the Men in Blue.
1. Flop – Sanju Samson
Ishan Kishan is expected to rise at the expense of Sanju Samson. The raucous home crowd in Thiruvananthapuram welcomed the right-hander, but he struggled to find any rhythm at the crease.
Samson’s technical flaws cropped up once more. He rarely looked in control before attempting to loft a shot down the ground, only to be comfortably caught at third man.
In the end, it proved to be an unmemorable T20I series for Samson.
