Yashwish Joyswal scores a hundred against New Zealand A in match that ends in a draw

The Indian team won the five-match T20 series against New Zealand with a score of 3-2. Although the Indian team lost the fifth and final match, which took place at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday (November 1st), the celebration of the victory took an unusual turn.

During the trophy presentation ceremony after the match, India's captain Shreyas Iyer accepted the trophy but then passed it to the young all-rounder Naman Dheer. Following this, the entire team took joint photographs with the trophy, and Iyer's gesture caused a wide resonance.

The 26-year-old Naman Dheer effectively utilized the opportunities given to him in this series. This all-rounder from Mumbai Indians (MI) made a significant contribution to India's game by batting in the lower order. He became the second-highest run-scorer for the Indian team in this T20 series.

Although Naman Dheer did not get many opportunities to play as a bowler, his batting successes attracted the attention of the team management. He managed to demonstrate his usefulness even with experienced players like Shivam Dube present.

This approach by Shreyas Iyer recalls the traditions established by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill. These captains previously allowed young players the opportunity to celebrate the victory with the trophy. It should be noted that Dhoni was the one who started the tradition of passing the trophy to young players, and subsequent Indian captains continued this practice.

India already gained an undeniable advantage in the series. Despite New Zealand managing to achieve their goal in the fifth match by stopping India at 191/8, they could not win the series, and this moment became unforgettable for Naman Dheer during India's victory celebration.

In the fourth match of the T20 series, New Zealand defeated India by 87 runs. This victory marked the first for the New Zealand team in the five-match T20 tournament. The loss in Auckland on Friday (October 30) ended India's unbeaten streak of 10 T20 matches against New Zealand in the country.

The Indian team had not lost in 10 international T20 matches in New Zealand between 2020 and 2026. However, this streak was broken on Friday. In terms of run differential, this was India's second largest defeat in international T20. Nevertheless, India had already secured the T20 series by winning the first three matches.

Statistics on continuous victories of one team over an opponent in one country show: 11 wins for India over Sri Lanka (in India, 2016-23), 10 wins for India over New Zealand (in New Zealand, 2020-26), 9 wins for New Zealand over Bangladesh (in New Zealand, 2010-22), and 9 wins for Pakistan over Zimbabwe (in Zimbabwe, 2011-21).

According to statistics, India's largest defeats in T20 by run margin include: 125 runs against England in Nottingham (2026), 87 runs against New Zealand in Auckland (2026), 80 runs against New Zealand in Wellington (2019), and 76 runs against South Africa in Ahmedabad (2026).

After India won the toss and opted to bat first, New Zealand batsmen scored 259 runs in 20 overs, which is the highest score for New Zealand in international T20 history. Glenn Phillips attacked the Indian bowlers, scoring 107 runs off 49 balls. His innings included six fours and 10 sixes, making it his third century in his international T20 career. Michael Bresler also played aggressively, scoring 65 runs off just 25 balls.

Both teams managed to change the momentum of the match, adding 115 runs off 41 balls for the fifth wicket. Glenn Phillips hit four consecutive sixes off Nitish Kumar Reddy's 16th over, resulting in 32 runs being scored in that over. Michael Bresler continued his aggressive play. In the last five overs, New Zealand earned 85 runs, bringing the total score to 259.

Finn Allen added 31 runs off 17 balls, and Daryl Mitchell scored 24 runs off nine balls. For India, Mankad Yadav took three wickets. Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Nitish Kumar Reddy each took one wicket.

When the Indian team came out to chase the target of 260 runs, Jacob Duffy struck two big blows in the first over. He dismissed Sanju Samson for four runs and Ishan Kishan without a ball. Following this, Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer tried to score quickly. Abhishek scored 27 runs off 15 balls, and Shreyas scored 22 runs off 11 balls. They added 46 runs for the third wicket, but Matthew Fisher dismissed Abhishek, breaking the partnership. Then Edam Milne bowled at a speed of 143 kilometers per hour and dismissed India's captain Shreyas.

Due to constant player losses, the Indian team could not handle the pressure of the large score and lost the match by a margin of 87 runs. Despite the defeat, the match was special for Arshdeep Singh, who dismissed Mitchell Stainer and reached 150 wickets in international T20, becoming the first Indian bowler to achieve this milestone.

In the second thrilling T20 match between India and New Zealand, the Indian team secured a convincing four-wicket victory, increasing their advantage in the five-match series to 2-0. This match was held at the Hagley Oval stadium in Christchurch.

New Zealand started the game by scoring 180 runs in 20 overs, losing five wickets. When the Indian team came out, they faced a situation where they were consecutively losing batsmen, and it seemed the match was slipping away from them. However, eventually, the young Indian players managed to save the team.

After the early departure of key players, lower-order batsmen took responsibility and helped the team overcome difficulties. Following this tense victory, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer openly shared his thoughts. Iyer admitted that when there was a series of losses, he felt the match was getting out of control.

However, after that, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy demonstrated incredible determination and changed the course of the game. Furthermore, he highly praised the small but very effective innings of Naman Dheer. Discussing Naman Dheer's versatility, Iyer mentioned seeing him during the series against West India at home. He noted that Naman is an excellent bowler, and when a player contributes both with the bat and with the ball, it brings a special energy to the team.

Iyer also complimented New Zealand spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bresshaw, noting that their play in the middle overs and control of the game made scoring difficult. He added that they played several dot balls at the beginning, which increased the pressure on the pace of the game. Nevertheless, in the end, Nitish and Tilak managed to withstand this pressure and led the team to victory.

Despite India gaining a comfortable 2-0 lead in the series, Iyer emphasized that it was too early to celebrate. He stated that the work was not finished, indicating the Indian team's desire to maintain its momentum in upcoming matches to completely win the series.