Shivam Dube shone with a world-class fifty but his lone strike was not enough to save India from a 50-run defeat (Image credit: Agencies) Shivam Dube produced a dazzling half-century of rare quality but it was not enough to save India from a 50-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I on Wednesday. Dube’s explosive 65 off 23 balls (3×4, 7×6) stood out in India’s chase of 216, but eventually the hosts were bowled out for 165 as the Kiwis pulled the series back to 3-1.With Ishan Kishan sidelined due to injury, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were tasked with setting up the chase. Instead, Abhishek left the first ball and cut Matt Henry to Devon Conway at deep point. Suryakumar followed soon after, his fine push brilliantly absorbed by Jacob Duffy on his follow-on, leaving India moving at 9 for two.
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Rinku Singh (39) and Sanju Samson (24) tried to stabilize the innings but struggled to accelerate, both in and out of the over. Rinku was trapped lbw by Zak Foulkes, while Samson – who had earlier hit a sumptuous six off Duffy – was bowled by Mitchell Santner’s direct hit and bowling.Hardik Pandya also failed to impress and India slumped to 82 for five in the 11th over, leaving Dube with the responsibility along with Harshit Rana (9).Undeterred by the skyrocketing query count hovering around 14, Dube was batting with freedom and intent. Given a reprieve on 46 via DRS, he reignited India’s hopes by plundering 29 runs off Ish Sodhi’s third over, smashing the sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6. He raced to his fifty in just 15 balls when he had Duffy over for six.The sixth-wicket stand added 63 runs, though Rana’s contribution was just four. Dube’s remarkable innings ended in cruel fashion when Rana’s straight drive bounced off Matt Henry’s hand and hit the non-striker’s stumps, catching Dube at short-on. That moment effectively ended India’s chase.Earlier, New Zealand’s innings was anchored by Tim Seifert’s dazzling half-century. Seifert hit 62 off 36 balls (7×4, 3×6) and was an outstanding player, although he lacked sustained support after India tightened the screws through the middle overs.Fresh from the Big Bash League, Seifert started aggressively, carving Arshdeep Singh for three consecutive fours – two off the edges – before dropping Harshit Rana for a towering six over long-on. He continued his onslaught in Rana’s next over with a six and a four before sending Jasprit Bumrah to screen for another maximum.Racing to 50 in the fourth over, New Zealand reached 71 for no loss in the Powerplay. Seifert’s pace allowed Devon Conway (44) to settle before accelerating. After crawling to 9 off 9 balls, Conway found his range, taking Ravi Bishnoi for two fours and a six before adding 35 runs from his next 13 deliveries.However, Conway perished trying to clear deep cover from Kuldeep Yadav to end the 100-run partnership. Seifert soon completed his fifty off 25 balls, but India came back with four wickets for 37 runs, reducing New Zealand to 137 for four in 13.4 overs.While there was no single magic spell, India benefited from the visitors’ eagerness to maintain an early run rate of 12 an over. This over-ambition triggered a mini-collapse. Daryl Mitchell (39 off 18 balls) provided the late impetus with clean hitting to lift New Zealand past the 200 mark.
