India vs NZ: Seifert, Conway power Kiwis to a massive 217/7 in Vizag

New Zealand posted a formidable 217/7 against India in the fourth T20I, thanks to a fiery start from openers Tim Seifert (62) and Devon Conway (44), and a late cameo from Daryl Mitchell (39), setting a challenging target for the hosts.

Tim Seifert, Devon Conway, and Daryl Mitchell helped New Zealand to post an excellent total of 217/7 in 20 overs against India in the fourth match of the ongoing India vs New Zealand T20I series, on Wednesday at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.

Explosive Start by Kiwi Openers

After being put in to bat first, New Zealand Openers Tim Seifert (62 runs off 36 balls including 7 boundaries and 3 sixes) and Devon Conway (44 runs off 23 balls including 4 boundaries and 3 sixes) gave the visitors a fiery start right from the word go. The Seifert-Conway partnership powered New Zealand to 71/0 in six overs as the Indian bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, were taken to cleaners by the BlackCaps openers.

India Fight Back in Middle Overs

Kuldeep Yadav provided the first breakthrough for the Men in Blue as New Zealand lost Conway at 100. Bumrah then got rid of Rachin Ravindra in the ninth over. While Glenn Phillips (24 runs off 16 balls) tried to put his foot on the pedal as well, Arshdeep Singh clinched Seifert's wicket in the 13th over as India caused a slowdown of the sorts to New Zealand's batting innings. Kuldeep Yadav picked his second of the day as he scalped Phillips as well, with New Zealand's score reading 139/4 in 14 overs.

Ravi Bishnoi got rid of Mark Chapman, and Mitchell Santner was run out, but Daryl Mitchell (39 runs off 18 balls, including 3 sixes and 2 fours) powered New Zealand to 215/7 in 20 overs.

Series Already in India's Pocket

Notably, the Men in Blue have pocketed the five-match T20I series as they have already secured a 3-0 unassailable lead. However, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India will also aim to wrap up the fourth T20I, with the Gautam Gambhir-coached side keen to tick as many boxes as possible ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

For India, Arshdeep Singh (2/33 in 4 overs), Jasprit Bumrah (1/38 in 4 overs), Kuldeep Yadav (2/39 in 4 overs) and Ravi Bishnoi (1/49 in 4 overs) were the wicket-takers.

Playing XIs

India vs New Zealand playing 11s for the fourth T20I: India playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand playing 11: Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy. (ANI)

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