India clinch T20I series

Thiruvananthapuram: The Men in Blue pulled-off a dramatic win in the rain curtailed eight-over-a-side third and final T20 International against New Zealand to win the three-game series 2-1 at the International, Greenfield International Stadium here on Tuesday.

Although, the visitors were chasing a rather achievable 68 runs target, the batsmen succumbed at regular intervals because of some excellent bowling that was backed by smart fielding. New Zealand was restricted to 61 for the loss of six wickets.

By all accounts, it was a brilliant win for India, which had lost the second match rather unexpectedly. It was a good win and it came because of tight bowling and energetic fielding, which combined well to defend the small target.

Earlier, a disciplined display by New Zealand bowlers did not allow Indian batsmen to score freely. The host only managed to post 67 for the loss of five wickets, which was a massive target.

Manish Pandey top scored with 17, while Tim Southee impressed with his 2/13 in his two overs. Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field. The visitors made just one change by bringing in pacer Tim Southee in place of Adam Milne while India included Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav in place of Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj.