‘Series kab start, khatam hui, pata nahi’ – Fans react to India’s series win as third T20I vs New Zealand ends in tie

After clinching a dominant win against New Zealand, India locked horns with the Black Caps for the final match of the three-match T20I series on November 22, Tuesday and the match, however, ended in a tie, by the DLS method. 

To add more to the match, after being forced to bowl first, the Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh managed to remove Fin Allen for a cheap score of 3 in the second over of the innings. While Mark Chapman perished for 12 runs, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips joined hands to put on an 86-run partnership for the third wicket, before Phillips made his way back to the dressing room after gathering a well-made 54.

Conway, who looked steady on the other hand, eventually followed Chapman in quick succession for 59 runs. A team hat-trick in the penultimate over ensured India restricted the Kiwis to 160, with Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh picking 4 wickets apiece. 

Rain wins India-New Zealand battle

Regarding the chase, India lost both openers Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan in quick succession and while the former gathered 11 runs, Kishan contributed only 10 runs to India’s scoreboard. The Men in Blue eventually lost Suryakumar Yadav for just 13 runs and looked in deep trouble. 

With captain Hardik Pandya remaining at the other end, India’s trusted middle-order batter, Shreyas Iyer, returned for a golden duck and rain, eventually interrupted the match after the completion of the 9 over, when the Men in Blue were reeling at 75/4.

Being at par with the DLS score, the match was called off due to rain and the match ended in a tie, much to the disappointment of the fans, although India won the series 0-1. Pandya, who opened up on the series win, said that he would like a full game on this wicket and added that he is looking forward to spending his time with his son. 

“Would have liked to win the game by playing the full overs, but it is what it is. At some point, I felt attack is the best defence on this wicket. We know the kind of bowling attacks they have, it was very important to get those 10-15 runs extra even though we lost a couple of wickets. A game like this could have given us an opportunity to test some of the players, but having said that, weather is something we cannot control. I’m going back home, taking my time off and be with my son,” Pandya was quoted as saying after the match. 

As things stand, let us take a look at a few Twitter reactions to Tuesday’s match: