India signed off their T20I series against New Zealand in dominant fashion, handing the visitors a thumping 46-run defeat in the fifth and final match at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. The night totally belonged to Ishan Kishan, whose eye-catching batting blitz lit up the stadium and left the New Zealand bowling attack in tatters. After winning the toss and opting to bat, India produced a batting masterclass, piling up a mammoth 271/5 in 20 overs, which was also their highest-ever T20I total against New Zealand.
The onslaught was unleashed by Ishan Kishan, who smashed a sensational 103 off 43 balls. The left-hander was in devastating form, flogging the bowlers to all parts of the ground. He smashed 10 sixes in his innings that helped him notch up his maiden T20I century. Suryakumar Yadav also continued his rich form with a blistering 63, and Hardik Pandya added valuable impetus with a quickfire 42.
Chasing the target, New Zealand began aggressively, with Finn Allen smashing 80 off 38 balls. However, once Allen was dismissed, the chase lost momentum dramatically. Daryl Mitchell attempted to revive the innings with a fighting 26 off 12 down the order, but things couldn't be brought under control as New Zealand limped to 225 all out in 19.4 overs.