Dubes Blazing Fifty Goes in Vain as India Lose Series

Shivam Dube’s explosive knock was not enough to prevent India’s defeat. India went down by 50 runs against New Zealand in the fourth T20I, conceding the series 3–1 with one match still to play.
Batting first, New Zealand posted a formidable 215 for 7. In reply, India were bowled out for 165 in 18.4 overs.
New Zealand’s innings was built on the solid foundation laid by Tim Seifert and Devon Conway. Seifert’s aggressive approach put India under pressure early, as the hosts raced to 71 runs in the powerplay—their highest powerplay score against India. Seifert scored 62, while Conway contributed 44.
Although New Zealand lost wickets quickly in the middle overs, they regained momentum late in the innings through Daryl Mitchell. Nineteen runs came off Jasprit Bumrah’s 19th over, followed by 14 runs off Harshit Rana in the final over, pushing the total beyond the 200-run mark.
India’s chase got off to a poor start, with Abhishek Sharma departing for a golden duck. Failures from Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya left India struggling at 87 for 5 after 11 overs.
At that point, Shivam Dube fought a lone battle. He smashed 29 runs in an over off Ish Sodhi and reached his half-century in just 15 balls—the third-fastest fifty for India in T20Is. However, his run-out on the final ball of the 15th over ended India’s hopes. Dube was dismissed for 65.
With the ball, New Zealand were led by Mitchell Santner, who claimed 3 wickets for 26 runs. Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi picked up two wickets each. India were eventually bowled out with eight balls remaining.
With this win, New Zealand sealed the series with a match to spare.