India elected to bowl first at Eden Park, Auckland. New Zealand began with a steady start, but the first wicket fell in the fourth over when Will Young was caught by SS Iyer off Arshdeep Singh for nine. The second wicket fell at 8.3 when Henry Nicholls was dismissed by the same bowler for nine. The third wicket came at 14.2 when Tim Seifert was caught by a substitute (RD Gaikwad) off Gurnoor Brar for 38.
The partnership between Seifert and the tail saw New Zealand reach 73 runs for three wickets. Daryl Mitchell added 28 before a run‑out by Sharma and Rahul at 16.6 overs. The fourth wicket fell at 16.6 when Tom Latham was caught and bowled by Gurnoor Brar for three. The fifth wicket came at 21.1 when Mitchell was dismissed by the same bowler for 28.
The sixth wicket fell at 26.1 when Mitchell Santner was dismissed by Anshul Kamboj for four. Nathan Smith was caught by Virat Kohli off Kamboj at 28.3, taking the score to 115 for seven. Kyle Jamieson was dismissed by Kohli and Arshdeep Singh at 31.1, and Glenn Phillips fell to Iyer and Singh at 35.1, bringing the score to 146 for nine. The final wicket came at 40.2 when Blair Tickner was caught by Rahul and bowled by Gurnoor Brar for 34.
New Zealand finished on 185 for 10 in 40.2 overs, with 13 extras – 8 wides, 4 leg‑byes and 1 no‑ball. Arshdeep Singh led the attack with 4 wickets for 70 runs in his full quota of 10 overs, while Anshul Kamboj finished with 2 for 22 from 10 overs and Gurnoor Brar took 3 for 44 from 9.2 overs. The required run rate for India to chase 186 was 3.72.
India won the opening T20I by 4 wickets with 2 balls remaining, and followed that up with another 4‑wicket win with 1 ball left. The third T20I saw India win by 6 wickets with 40 balls to spare. New Zealand then claimed the fourth T20I by 87 runs, and the fifth by 7 wickets with 12 balls remaining. The ODI now sees India chasing a modest target after a competitive first innings.
