Ishan lifts up Greenfield with maiden T20 century, another night to forget for Samson

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala cricket star Sanju Samson had a night to forget at Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram as he stumbled yet again with the bat. However, Ishan Kishan did the good work with a batting firework that ensured his maiden T20 century. Suryakumar Yadav completed his third half-century of the series. Batting first, India posted a record score of 271/5, while the Kiwis were bowled out for 225 in 19.4 overs. With this, India took the series 4-1 and will now ramp up preparations for the World Cup.

Ishan Kishan (103 runs off 43 balls), Suryakumar Yadav (63 runs off 30 balls), Hardik Pandya (42 runs off 17 balls), and Abhishek Sharma (30 runs off 16 balls) contributed to the gargantuan score while local favourite Sanju ended up with a dismal show.

From 48/2 in five overs, Ishan and Suryakumar's third-wicket partnership of 137 runs took India to 185/4 in 14.3 overs. Tim Seifert broke the partnership by stumping Surya off Santner's delivery.

In response, Kiwis proved that they were not a team to be underestimated. Finn Allen, who reached his half-century in 22 balls, led the comeback. Allen, who had scored 80 runs in 38 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes, was dismissed by Axar Patel in the ninth over, giving advantage to India.

The current dismal form has raised questions over Sanju's future with the World Cup T20 around the corner. Sanju could score only a total of 46 runs from five matches. His highest score was 24 runs scored in 15 balls in the fourth match. It is not Sanju's poor form, but second wicket keeper Ishan Kishan's consistent performance in the series that may cause series trouble for the Malayali cricketer. If Tilak Verma makes his return to the team, Ishan will find his place back in the team, while Sanju will yet again be in the squad for the World Cup, reenacting his role as a water boy.