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The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam started with high pace and clean hitting. New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert came out with clear intent and put pressure on the Indian bowlers from the first over. India won the toss and chose to bowl, but the decision did not work early on as New Zealand made full use of the powerplay.

New Zealand reached 84 for no loss after 7.2 overs. Tim Seifert was batting on 50 off 25 balls and Devon Conway was on 33 off 19 balls. Their strong start gave New Zealand a big lift for a strong total.

Tim Seifert reached his half-century in only 25 balls. This made it the joint quickest fifty for a New Zealand player against India in T20 internationals. He now shares this record with Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor who both reached 50 in 25 balls in Auckland in 2020.

The moment came against spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Seifert pushed a flatter ball to mid-off and took a single to get to 50. His strike rate of 200 showed how tough it was for the Indian bowlers. Seifert hit 5 fours and 3 sixes and did not let any bowler settle.

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India tried different bowlers but none could stop the flow of runs. Arshdeep Singh gave 17 in his two overs. Harshit Rana went for 27 in two overs. Jasprit Bumrah bowled with control but still conceded 10 in one over. The spinners also leaked runs as Bishnoi gave 18 off 1.2 overs and Kuldeep Yadav gave 11 off his only over.

Seifert’s quick fifty gave New Zealand a strong start and set them up for a big total. With Conway also scoring fast the Indian fielders looked under pressure. The batting depth of New Zealand meant they could attack even harder in the middle overs. With this kind of form, the Kiwis can give themselves a chance to win atleast a game in the five match T20I series.