India’s Ishan Kishan (PTI Photo) Thiruvananthapuram: Ishan Kishan’s stunning 42-ball century was the heart of India’s mammoth 271/5 at the Greenfield Stadium on Saturday, turning what could have been a competitive total into a match-winning one. On the smallest pitch of the series and a pitch dry on top yet sticky underneath, India’s innings was a masterclass in timing, power and ruthless intent. Chasing, New Zealand were bundled out for 225 with only Finn Allen’s 80 off 38 offering any semblance of resistance. The 46-run victory completed India’s dominant 4-1 series triumph.
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The partisan Thiruvananthapuram crowd expected fireworks from local hero Sanju Samson, but it was Kishan who stole the show. Lockie Ferguson, who returned to the international scene after 2024 in New Zealand, provided the only early sting with genuine pace and bounce as he removed both Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek’s 30 off 16 set the tone with brisk aggression, but Samson’s six-ball six ended in quiet disappointment – a forlorn exit from the field, greeted by deafening silence from the home fans. Kishan, coming back from the catch, started measuredly and casually, letting the pitch and pitch settle under him. Once he got into a rhythm, he unleashed a sheer bloodbath. Along with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who carved out 63 off 30 with effortless elegance, India torpedoed from 100 to 200 in just 5.2 overs, with the duo adding a 137-run stand for the third wicket. Kishan’s ruthlessness was particularly brutal against leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, whom he bowled for 29 runs in a single over. The defining moment came in the 17th over against New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner: two consecutive sixes brought up Kishan’s century, immediately celebrated by a bear hug from Hardik Pandya at the non-striker’s end. Ten sixes and six fours punctuated the strike of explosive efficiency, power and timing in perfect harmony. Even after Kishan and Suryakumar left, the carnage continued. Hardik Pandya smashed 42 off 17 while Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube closed the innings with gusto. The kiwi chase started in flames. Tim Seifert fell for 5 in the first match against Arshdeep Singh, and although Finn Allen – the Big Bash’s top scorer with 466 runs at 184.2 – made a scintillating 80 off 38, wickets slowed the pace at crucial times. With 10 overs left, New Zealand were 131/2, needing 141 from the remaining 10 overs – an almost impossible requirement. The visitors raced to 166 in 14 overs, but from there the required rate rose to alarming proportions. The main destroyer at this stage was Arshdeep who bore the brunt of Finn’s early onslaught before returning to remove Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner and Kyle Jamieson to finish with figures of 5/51 from four incisive overs. “Great learning to stay in the game. That was the message from the coaching staff. Lately I have been going for consistent runs, trying to stay in the game with the help of Morne Morkel,” Arshdeep said after the match. Numbers aside, the match carried a subtle T20 World Cup subtext: Kishan taking over the wicket duties from Samson signals India’s intent to finalize the combinations for the exhibition event starting next week.
