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In the rain-truncated deciding T20I of the three-match series saw India edge out New Zealand by six runs. After the match was shortened to eight-over per side, skipper Kane Williamson invited India to have a go with the bat.
A muffled start from the Indian opening pair saw the hosts manage 15 runs before losing both Rohit and Dhawan. Virat Kohli added quickfire 13, while Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya chipped in with 17 and 14 respectively to help India to 67.
New Zealand's start wasn't the best as well as Martin Guptill departed in the first over itself. Munro then departed in the next over and the Kiwi batting then fell like a pack of cards, which saw them getting halted at 61 by the end of eight overs, six runs short of the target.
Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 2/9 in two overs and was also named the Man of the Series as well. Let us take a look at how the Cricket World reacted after India's series win.
Hardik Pandya: Right now, my finger is okay. After the game, I might feel the pain. I got to know 7th over that I will be bowling the last over as it was tougher to hit the fast bowlers than the spinners. I had to keep my calm and wanted to stick to my plan. It is important to have a cool mind and to think positive. Crucial to back yourself. I knew one or two might go but we had the runs.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The wicket was suiting the bowlers, it was slow and it was spinning. I wanted to bowl wider and on a back of a length. I have bowled in such situations so many matches, especially in IPL, so I knew how to bowl in such conditions. I just bowled a good line and length, the captain was backing me well.
Ravi Shastri: You'll be lying if you say you aren't tense. Such games can change in the matter of 2-3 balls. Boys saved the best for last in terms of fielding. There was electricity on the field. We thought we could defend it. After we lost a couple of wickets, our aim was to get 65. By no means, it's a match-winning score, but if you field well and start well, the pressure is on the opposition. Outstanding temperament from Bumrah. He's shown he's got all the tools of the trade. But importantly, what he's shown that he's a thinking bowler.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson: It's quite hard to know a good first innings score. Credit to the groundstaff and what an amazing staff. Glad to get some cricket. Tricky surface and runs on board on that surface was handy. It came down to a couple of deliveries. Shame to not get across the line in this decider. As soon as you run your fingers on the ball, it made life difficult. ]In this part of the world, wickets can be flat. We showed a good fight. You have to be on top of their game to win here, they are one of the best teams in the world. I think there have been a number of strides forward for us. Fairly new group and it's not easy, guys coming here for the first or second time. It's a tough place to play.
Jasprit Bumrah, Player of the Match and Player of the Series: It was a good day. Slower delivery was gripping, so we wanted to stick to a basic plan. I and Bhuvi had a chat before the innings. After watching the first innings, we saw them bowling slower deliveries, but our balls weren't gripping, so we had to bowl it back of a length and mix them with yorkers. I wasn't thinking too much, just focusing on every ball and on executing them.
Indian captain Virat Kohli: I think we were really happy to get a game. This crowd deserved to watch some action. Ever since the ODIs started, we expected them to give a good fight. We were nervous to start here, with the damp pitch. We thought if we can take the runrate up, it's not going to be so easy. Rohit and MS came up with Bumrah bowling the second last, and Hardik bowled the last over well. When Hardik got hurt, I was.. God forbid if I had to bowl the last four balls (chuckles). We have won a few on the trot and it makes us very proud. This stadium is beautiful, the outfield wonderful and the crowd made it special.
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