Arshdeep Singh produced a spell that had everything: an explosive start that went wrong, a ferocious middle-over revival and a rare five-wicket haul that helped India finish their T20 tune-up on a high. The left-arm pacer returned career-best figures of 5 for 51 as India defended a colossal 271 and beat New Zealand by 46 runs in the fifth T20I at Thiruvananthapuram, sealing the five-match series 4-1.
How the match unfolded
India posted a mammoth 271 for 5, powered by a match-winning century from Ishan Kishan and a brisk 63 from Suryakumar Yadav, putting enormous scoreboard pressure on the visitors. Chasing 272, New Zealand began well. Finn Allen struck a brilliant 80 off 38, but the asking rate remained steep throughout. India’s bowlers chipped in at the back end to bowl New Zealand out for 225 in 19.4 overs. The result gave India a comfortable 46-run victory and completed a 4–1 series win ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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The expensive start and solid comeback
Arshdeep’s story in the match was dramatic. He was hammered in the powerplay and early middle overs, conceding 40 runs in his first two overs as New Zealand looked to seize control. Rather than folding, Arshdeep reset his plans: he mixed pace and angles, and finished the back end of the innings with discipline and bite, conceding only 11 runs in his final two overs while taking key wickets. That rebound turned what looked like a horror night into a career landmark.
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Wickets & the sequence
Arshdeep’s five victims illustrated the arc of the collapse he engineered. He removed the opener Tim Seifert early (caught by Hardik Pandya), then accounted for Rachin Ravindra (caught by Axar Patel), Mitchell Santner (caught by Suryakumar Yadav), Kyle Jamieson (bowled) & finally Daryl Mitchell (bowled). The cluster of dismissals in the middle overs choked New Zealand’s momentum after Finn Allen’s counterattack. Those scalps were decisive in shifting the game back to India.
The unusual record for Arshdeep
What made Arshdeep’s fifer especially notable was the runs he conceded. He finished with 5-51 and became the first man in T20I history to take a five-wicket haul while conceding more than 40 runs in the same innings. The combination of being hit around early and then producing the match-turning wickets made this a rare statistical oddity and a great example of how T20 bowling narratives can swing dramatically.
Good signs ahead of World Cup
For Arshdeep Singh, the performance is a timely confidence boost. He showed both vulnerability (the expensive start) and resilience (the clinical finish), traits selectors value in high-pressure tournaments. The ability to bounce back within a game, to change lengths, target areas, and execute under fatigue, is precisely what teams need at the international level. For India, finishing their home preparations with a massive total and a clinical win will be encouraging heading into the T20 World Cup.
