Mohammed Siraj provided India with an early breakthrough by dismissing New Zealand opener Tim Seifert in the fifth and final ODI at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 15. The Indian pacer struck early in the hosts’ chase, giving the visitors much-needed momentum after a disappointing batting performance.
The dismissal came on the third delivery of the sixth over. Siraj bowled a good-length delivery outside the off stump, tempting Seifert to attempt an aggressive shot towards the leg side. However, the New Zealand opener failed to time his shot and handed a straightforward catch to debutant Yash Thakur at mid-on.
Seifert departed after scoring 14 runs off 21 deliveries, including two boundaries. His dismissal left New Zealand at 26/1 after 5.3 overs. At the time of writing, the hosts were 32/1 after eight overs, with Will Young batting on nine and Nick Kelly on five.
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Earlier, India struggled after being asked to bat first, losing three wickets inside the powerplay. Rohit Sharma managed just seven off 13 balls, while Virat Kohli departed for five off seven deliveries. Ruturaj Gaikwad also failed to make a substantial contribution, scoring 18 off 27 balls as India slipped to 34/3.
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Captain Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel attempted to stabilise the innings with a 52-run partnership off 55 deliveries for the fourth wicket. However, Iyer was dismissed for 22 off 26 balls. Axar contributed 46 off 55 deliveries, hitting five boundaries and a six.
Ishan Kishan also scored 46 off 58 balls, including three fours and two sixes, while Naman Dhir added 22 from 31 deliveries. Despite their contributions, India continued losing wickets and eventually found themselves struggling at 183/9.
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Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh provided a late boost with an important 26-run partnership for the final wicket. Siraj remained unbeaten on 14 off 20 balls, while Arshdeep smashed 14 from just four deliveries, helping India reach 209 before being bowled out in 42.1 overs. For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy impressed with figures of 3/60, while captain Mitchell Santner also claimed three wickets for 47 runs to restrict India to a modest total.
