New Zealand VS India Match ball by ball Commentary

Into the final lap we go - Just when India looked ready to put their feet up, New Zealand have thrown the series wide open. A thumping 244-run win has pulled the Kiwis back to 1-2. New Zealand can't win the series from here, but they can stop India from taking it. They have exposed India's vulnerabilities against the moving, bouncing ball, leaving the Men in Blue with plenty to find answers to, and quickly. That's that from the penultimate game, then. The fifth and final ODI will be played at the same venue - Bay Oval - on Sunday, 15th November, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 2 am GMT (7.30 am IST). But as you know the drill, do join us in advance for the buildup as well. Cheers!

The captain of New Zealand - Mitchell Santner says he is pretty happy with the win, joking that it was nice not having to bowl again. Credits Will Young for setting up a good total, although he feels they left a few runs out there, with 360 being the target they had in mind. Reckons another 20 runs from each partnership could have got them there, but India kept chipping away with wickets. Reveals that Matt Henry was keen to play today and felt he was the ideal man to exploit the conditions with the new ball. Adds that the pacers will get some rest tomorrow, while he will have to put in some overs himself. Will assess the pitch and conditions on Sunday before deciding on the approach.

The Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer reflects on this crushing defeat. He notes that there was a huge difference in the pitch between the two innings. He credits Matt Henry for the way he bowled. On the short-ball tactics and ideal lengths, Iyer says India tried almost everything in the first innings as New Zealand played on the rise. He believes the surface was a belter for batting, given the total posted by the home side. He adds that, at the interval, they felt they could cruise through the chase, but the ball seamed in and out, making it difficult to commit to a plan. He stresses that no one threw their wicket away, but the deliveries were simply good. Looking ahead, Iyer says it is important to forget this result, analyse what went wrong with both bat and ball, and draw inspiration from the two wins in the series. He wants the side to return with a fresh mindset for the next match.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Matt Henry takes home the award for career-best figures of 6/27 from 9.4 overs, including 2 maidens. Henry says it is great to be back after what has been a funny old year with injuries. Adds that the collision with Devon Conway was far from ideal and admits he takes some responsibility for it as well. Thankfully, he is doing alright now, although the incident pushed his return back a little. Emphasises that managing his workload and being careful after the head knock were key to his recovery, especially with a huge summer ahead. Jokes that the conditions were quite funny during his triple-wicket maiden, with the strong wind making it important to keep things simple and stick to a straightforward game plan. Explains that with the way the wind was blowing, he wasn't too concerned about getting swing and instead focused on playing to his strengths and bringing the stumps into play. Mentions that he knew there was a small window with the new ball to put the batters under pressure and wanted to keep things as simple as possible. Admits that when the ball moves sharply in the first over, it can be particularly challenging for batters facing their first deliveries. He is pleased with the performance against a world-class Indian side but is keen not to get carried away, stressing that it is just one game and the focus is now on levelling the series. Adds that he will join the Test squad for a training camp, get some time with the red ball and prepare for next week.

... The post-match Presentation ...

Young made India pay - Seifert and Young set the tone with an 85-run opening stand, but New Zealand soon slipped to 125 for 3. Finn Allen and Will Young then stitched together a 90-run partnership to pull things back. Young, dropped twice in successive balls, made India pay with a resilient hundred. He found useful support along the way, though neither he nor the middle order could see the innings through. Late hits from Santner, Clarke and Jamieson helped New Zealand scrape to 333. Axar Patel led India’s attack with two wickets and the best economy rate of 3.9. Nabi and Brar also picked up two apiece, though at a slightly higher cost, while Kuldeep endured a difficult day. Arshdeep and Dhir pulled things back nicely at the death, but had India held on to the chances early on, the Kiwis could well have been restricted to a far lower total.

Undone by pace and bounce - Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer. India's most dangerous and experienced names were all back in the pavilion before they had scored a run, and Matt Henry was the man responsible who bowled a first over of the ages on his return from a concussion layoff. It is hard to remember a more destructive opening over in recent years, and you could argue there hasn't been a better one. The collapse kept coming. Ruturaj Gaikwad had no answer to the lift and movement on offer, and Kyle Jamieson matched Henry's fire from the other end, leaving India reeling at 9/4. Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan dug in and added 44, a brave stand under the circumstances. Fisher ended it, but Henry was only getting started. He returned for a second spell, ran through the rest of the order and completed a six-for, never letting the tourists settle.

Metronomic Matt rips the heart out of India - A sensational bowling effort from the Kiwis, led by Matt Henry. They have skittled India to their sixth-lowest ODI total and handed the Men in Blue their second-biggest defeat in the format, in terms of runs. What looked like a slightly underwhelming finish at the halfway stage has proved more than enough for the hosts to get the job done. On a brighter note, New Zealand's pace attack bowled with purpose and precision, tightening the noose with every delivery. Fisher's impressive three-for provided valuable support to Henry's six-wicket haul, but it was the relentless pressure from the entire unit that left India with no room to breathe.