Seifert's 93 carries New Zealand to a seven-wicket win as India take the series 3-2

Tim Seifert's 93 carried New Zealand to a seven-wicket win in the fifth T20I at Seddon Park, although India still closed out the series 3-2

Chasing 192, New Zealand got home with 12 balls to spare, finishing on 195 for 3 after Seifert's innings pulled the contest away from India through the middle overs of the reply.

India had recovered from 19 for 2 to post 191 for 8 after being put in, half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer rescuing an innings that Adam Milne broke open in the first over and shut down again at the death.

It was New Zealand's second win in a row after the 87-run victory at Eden Park, but India had already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead and finish the T20I leg of the tour as series winners.

Milne breaks India early

Milne removed Abhishek Sharma for 1 in his opening over and Sanju Samson fell for 4 from 10 balls, leaving India 19 for 2 inside the fourth over on a surface that had looked worth batting on.

The fast bowler returned at the death to take out Nitish Kumar Reddy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and finished with 4-19 from his four overs, the only New Zealand bowler to hold India's middle order back.

Blair Tickner and Nathan Smith took two wickets apiece, although New Zealand's fielding was untidy for long stretches and several chances went down.

Kishan and Iyer rebuild

Kishan and Iyer added 93 for the third wicket to steady the innings, India reaching 50 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and 111 for 2 after ten overs.

Kishan made 61 from 32 balls with five fours and five sixes before Tickner had him caught by Smith, while Iyer hit three fours and four sixes in 50 from 23 balls.

Kishan was reprieved in the seventh over, when the third umpire ruled that a fielder's foot had been grounded outside the rope and the stroke was given as a six rather than a catch.

Naman Dhir added 33 from 23 and Nitish Kumar Reddy 22 from 17, but three wickets in the closing overs left India a little short of the total their platform deserved.

Seifert takes the chase away

Arshdeep Singh bowled Finn Allen for 2 to leave New Zealand 15 for 1, and Varun Chakaravarthy had Daryl Mitchell caught by Abhishek Sharma for 29 from 16 balls, but the required rate never climbed.

Seifert reached his fifty from 34 balls and kept going, taking New Zealand to 96 for 2 at the halfway mark and then carrying the chase almost unaided through the second half of the innings.

He was bowled by Nitish Kumar Reddy for 93, seven short of a century, with the result by then settled.

Phillips finishes it

Glenn Phillips made an unbeaten half-century alongside Seifert, the pair putting the chase beyond India in a stand that ran through the second ten overs.

India's attack shared the work but found little help from the pitch, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy and Nitish Kumar Reddy taking the three wickets that fell.

New Zealand reached the target in the 18th over, having lost only three wickets in the chase.

India take the series 3-2

India won the first three matches of the five-match series before New Zealand replied at Eden Park and Seddon Park, so the tourists take the T20I leg 3-2.

The sides now move on to the ODI leg, for which India have already added Auqib Nabi to the squad for the first three matches.

Scorecard: India 191 for 8 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 61, Shreyas Iyer 50, Adam Milne 4-19); New Zealand 195 for 3 in 18 overs (Tim Seifert 93). New Zealand won by seven wickets; India won the series 3-2.

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