5 reasons India have not been able to beat New Zealand in T20Is

#4 Dhoni's death-overs choke (Chennai, 2012)

MS Dhoni laboured to a 23-ball 22 and came up short in the end

After persistent rain washed out the opening match at Visakhapatnam, the series was up for grabs when India and New Zealand squared off against each other at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in 2012. The match had added significance as the tenacious Yuvraj Singh was making an emotional comeback into international cricket following a successful bout against cancer.

The hosts got off to a vociferous start as Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan picked up a wicket each in the first couple of overs. However, the dynamic Brendon McCullum formed valuable partnerships with the likes of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to steer the innings in the proper direction.

Although McCullum was castled by Pathan just nine runs short of what could have been a spectacular century, the Kiwis posted 167 on a dicey track.

An enterprising performance from Virat Kohli as well as useful contributions from Suresh Raina and Yuvraj anchored India's chase. When the exuberant right-hander fell for a well-compiled 70, the skipper walked into the middle.

Even as the partisan crowd got behind their adopted local lad, MS Dhoni struggled to come to terms with the sluggish surface and laboured to a painfully slow knock. With Yuvraj returning to top-level cricket after a lengthy sabbatical, the onus was on the captain to time the chase to perfection. But the match turned out to be one of those rare instances when the accomplished finisher failed to carry his side to victory.