-1769619223612.webp)
IND vs NZ 4th T20I: All-rounder Shivam Dube's rapid-fire fifty ultimately proved insufficient as New Zealand outmanoeuvred India to secure a 50-run win in the 4th T20I of the five-match series at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Abhishek fell in the first ball of India's innings, skying Matt Henry to Devon Conway at deep point. Suryakumar's meek push was converted into a brilliant return catch by Jacob Duffy as India slumped to 9 for 2.
Rinku Singh (39) and Sanju Samson (24) tried to keep India afloat but they struggled to force the pace either in the Power Play or after that.
ALSO READ: IND vs NZ 4th T20I: India's Discipline Bowling Restrict New Zealand To NZ 215/7 In Visakhapatnam
Rinku fell leg before to Zak Foulkes and Samson, who hit a delicious flicked six off Duffy, was foxed by Mitchell Santner's straight delivery to get castled.
Hardik Pandya too returned without any significant contribution as India further slipped to 82 for five in the 11th over, leaving Dube and Harshit Rana (9) to save the day.
Dube batted fearlessly and hardly displayed the pressure of an ever-climbing asking rate that hovered around 14 almost all the while.
The all-rounder, who was saved by DRS from a leg-before decision on 46, raised the hopes in the Indian camp, biffing 29 runs off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi's third over that included a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6.
The left-hander brought up his fifty in just 15 balls with a six over square leg off Duffy. The sixth wicket of Dube and Harshit Rana added 63 runs and the latter's contribution was a princely four runs.
But Dube's fortune finally deserted him when Rana's rasping straight drive shattered the stumps at non-striker's end after taking a deflection off Henry's hand.
Earlier, New Zealand's innings revolved around Tim Seifert's blistering fifty.
(With PTI Inputs