Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 31 (NationPress) The left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh achieved his second five-wicket haul in T20Is as India triumphed over New Zealand by 46 runs in the fifth encounter, thereby clinching the series 4-1 at the Greenfield International Stadium on Saturday.

Choosing to bat first, India set a daunting target of 271/5, with Ishan Kishan delivering a spectacular 42-ball century, marking his debut T20I hundred, and captain Suryakumar Yadav contributing a solid 63. Additionally, Hardik Pandya lit up the innings with a quickfire 42 off 17 balls, leading India to their third-highest total in T20 history.

New Zealand’s run chase began with a strong performance from Finn Allen, who scored 80 off 38 balls, but his dismissal led to a dramatic collapse. Despite reaching 225, the visitors were all out in just 19.4 overs. Arshdeep, who initially conceded 40 runs in his first two overs, bounced back to finish with impressive figures of 5-51, complemented by spinners Axar Patel (3-33) and Varun Chakaravarthy (1-36).

This victory capped a commanding series for India, who made multiple changes for the final match yet maintained dominance throughout. Kishan’s role behind the stumps in place of Sanju Samson also hinted at potential lineup strategies for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

New Zealand started their innings with excitement as Arshdeep’s opening over saw three boundaries from Allen, although he managed to dismiss Tim Seifert who chipped a catch to midwicket. Allen, returning to the squad for the first time since March 2025, maintained his aggressive style, racing to 37 off 14 balls and punishing Arshdeep with a flurry of boundaries.

With Rachin Ravindra supporting him, Allen showcased his batting prowess against Jasprit Bumrah and Chakaravarthy, reaching his half-century in just 22 balls. New Zealand ended the powerplay at 79 for one, their highest score in this phase against India in T20Is, momentarily silencing the home supporters.

Allen and Ravindra continued to attack the Indian bowlers, hitting sixes off Chakaravarthy in the eighth over to push their score past 100. The dew factor affected the Indian bowlers, who avoided fuller lengths. India finally struck back in the ninth over when Axar dismissed Allen, who had scored a blazing 80.

After Allen attempted to clear the leg-side, he was caught at long-on, and Axar followed this success by dismissing Glenn Phillips. Arshdeep made a strong comeback in his second spell, claiming Ravindra’s wicket with a clever knuckle-ball that resulted in a top-edge to deep backward square leg, while Mitchell Santner fell for a duck.

Daryl Mitchell added some late fireworks with a couple of sixes but India kept taking wickets—Bevon Jacobs was bowled by a googly from Chakaravarthy, and both Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell fell quickly, giving Arshdeep his five-wicket haul.

After Axar completed his three-wicket haul, Ish Sodhi hit a few lofty shots before being dismissed by Rinku Singh, sealing a convincing victory for India just a week ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Brief Scores: India 271/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 103, Suryakumar Yadav 63; Lockie Ferguson 2-41, Jacob Duffy 1-53) beat New Zealand 225 in 19.4 overs (Finn Allen 80, Rachin Ravindra 30; Arshdeep Singh 5-50, Axar Patel 3-33) by 46 runs