4th T20I, Visakhapatnam: Shivam Dube's blazing fifty in vain as New Zealand trounce India

Images from the fourth T20 International between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.

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Shivam Dube flickered brightly with a fifty of exceptional quality but it was insufficient to prevent India's 50-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20 International, in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.

The big-hitting Dube 65 (23 balls, 3x4, 7x6) batted all but his own in India's steep chase of 216, but the hosts eventually finished at 165 all out as the Kiwis reduced the margin to 3-1 in the five-match series. 

With Ishan Kishan sitting out with an unspecified injury, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were expected to lead the chase.

But Abhishek fell off the first ball of India's innings, skying Matt Henry to Devon Conway at deep point. 

Suryakumar's meek push was converted into a brilliant return catch by Jacob Duffy as India slumped to 9 for 2. 

Rinku Singh (39) and Sanju Samson (24) tried to keep India afloat but they struggled to force the pace either in the Powerplay or after that.

Rinku fell leg before to Zak Foulkes and Samson, who hit a delicious flicked six off Duffy, missed a straight delivery from Mitchell Santner and was bowled.

Hardik Pandya too returned without any significant contribution as India further slipped to 82 for five in the 11th over, leaving Dube and Harshit Rana (9) to save the day. 

Dube batted fearlessly, and hardly displayed the pressure of an ever-climbing asking rate that hovered around 14 almost all the while. 

Dube, who was saved by DRS from a leg-before decision on 46, raised the hopes in the Indian camp, biffing 29 runs off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi's third over that included a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6. 

The left-hander raced to his fifty from just 15 balls with a six over square leg off Duffy. The sixth wicket of Dube and Harshit Rana added 63 runs and the latter's contribution was a princely four runs.

But Dube's fortune finally deserted him when Rana's rasping straight drive shattered the stumps at non-striker's end after taking a deflection off Henry's hand. 

That effectively signalled the end of India's chase. 

Earlier, Tim Seifert slammed a blistering fifty and Daryl Mitchell starred with a quickfire cameo in the final overs to fire New Zealand to 215 for seven.

Seifert, who stroked 62 from 36 balls -- including seven fours and three sixes, was the standout Kiwi batter but he did not have enough followers to fully drive home the advantage after India opted to field first.

Seifert, who joined the team after appearing in the Big Bash League recently, started off aggressively as he hit Arshdeep Singh for three fours in a row, although two of them were off edges.

But in the next over, the right-hander smashed Harshit Rana for a six over long-on, showcasing his muscle and timing.

In the pacer's next over, Seifert eked out a six and four in successive balls before sending a Jasprit Bumrah delivery to the sight-screen for another maximum.

New Zealand raced past the 50-run mark in the fourth over and ended the Powerplay at 71 for no loss in six overs.

Seifert's frenetic innings also helped Devon Conway (44) to settle down and then have a go at the Indian bowlers.

After meandering to 9 off 9 balls, the left-hander found his range, plundering two fours and a six off Ravi Bishnoi - a loft between long-on and mid-wicket, a square cut and a slog sweep.

Conway made 35 runs off the next 13 balls but soon holed out to Rinku Singh at deep cover off Kuldeep Yadav, as the home side snapped a 100-run opening wicket alliance.

Mitchell's assault boosts NZ in death overs

Seifert soon completed a 25-ball fifty but India found a small creek on the door, and soon snaffled four wickets in the space of 37 runs to reduce the Kiwis to 137 for four in 13.4 overs. 

The Indians did not bowl any magic spell but the visiting batters were overly eager to maintain a run rate of 12 that the Seifert-Conway combine was scoring at.

But that overzealous attempt resulted in them losing wickets in a cluster. 

Skipper Mitchell Santner looked good to play another valuable cameo, carting Bishnoi for a four and six off consecutive deliveries.

But an indecisive take-off for a quick single eventuated in the direct throw of Hardik Pandya, who did not bowl on the night, reaching the stumps before Santner.

Daryl Mitchell (39 not out, 18b) made some strong hits in the death overs to take New Zealand past 200. But even without an injured Ishan Kishan the tourists might feel that they were around 20 runs short of a more competitive total on this easy-paced pitch.