India clinch another Super Over win against NZ to go 4-0 up

newzealand vs india 4th odi

For the second time in two successive games, India and New Zealand took a T20I game into the Super Over. Much like the last match, New Zealand were in a dominant stage and had a victory within their grasp in the match at Wellington, but jitters towards the end meant that they were unable to seal a game and go 0-4 down in the five-match series.

After winning the toss, the hosts sent India to bat first and had them on the mat at 88 for 6. However, some good batting from Manish Pandey, in the end, allowed the Men in Blue to reach 165, a competitive total on a good batting track.india vs nz-4th-odi-T20

The Kiwis got off to a fine start, with Colin Munro and Tim Seifert scoring fifties each, to take the side close to their first win in the series. They needed 7 to win off the last over, with Seifert batting alongside Ross Taylor and five wickets in hand. Taylor, however, was once again unable to hold on to his nerves in the last over, as he holed off the first ball of the 20th over to Shreyas Iyer. Daryl Mitchell lofted the second ball over mid-off for a four, and the equation came down to 3 of 4.

The next ball saw Seifert getting run-out as he tried to sneak a bye. Mitchell lofted a knuckleball off the next ball to mid-off, and a single off the fifth ball meant that the Kiwis needed two in the last ball. Mitchell Santner could pick just a single to cover to take the match into the Super Over.india vs nz 4th T20

In the Super Over, Jasprit Bumrah was unlucky as he saw two catches getting dropped, but two loose balls allowed the Black Caps to score 13.

In response, Rahul and Kohli walked out with Tim Southee, the stand-in skipper after Kane Williamson was ruled out due to injury, taking the ball in the crucial over. The first ball to Rahul was heaved beyond mid-wicket for a six, with the next ball, a short one, getting pulled away for a four. India had scored 10 off 2, with another 4 needed in the last 4 balls.

The next delivery, however, saw Rahul getting dismissed, which meant that Virat Kohli had the onus of leading the side through. He put his experience to good use, knock a mid-on for a two and then finished it off with a four.

Brief Scores: India 165/8 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 50*, KL Rahul 39; Ish Sodhi 3-26) tied with New Zealand 165/8 in 20 overs (Colin Munro 64, Tim Seifert 57; Shardul Thakur 2-33). India chased down 14 to win the Super Over.