Nitish Kumar Reddy preps for ODI opener as New Zealand defeats India in T20I finale

New Zealand secured a seven-wicket victory over India in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton, though India already captured the series with three wins in the first four matches. Tim Seifert led the hosts with a brilliant knock of 93 runs off 50 deliveries, narrowly missing a maiden century before falling in the 16th over to Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

During New Zealand's chase of a 192-run target, Reddy ended Seifert's explosive innings when the opener dragged an inside edge onto his leg stump. Glenn Phillips then finished off the match alongside his teammates, guiding New Zealand to 195/3 in 18 overs and securing the win with 12 balls to spare. Phillips finished unbeaten on 65 runs from 38 balls, surpassing the record for most runs in a bilateral T20I series.

Earlier in the fixture, India posted a total of 191/8 in their allotted 20 overs after New Zealand won the toss and elected to field. Ishan Kishan led the charge for the visitors with a quickfire 61 off 32 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer contributed 50 runs from 23 deliveries. Following a middle-order collapse, Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy steadied the innings with a crucial 46-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Reddy contributed 22 runs from 17 balls before being dismissed by Adam Milne in the final over of India's innings. Milne finished as the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with standout figures of 4/19 from his four overs, limiting India's late-game acceleration alongside teammate Blair Tickner, who broke the threatening partnerships.

Looking ahead to the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, analysts and former players have already begun discussing prospective playing combinations. Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu and Murali Kartik both included Nitish Kumar Reddy in their projected playing XI for the first ODI scheduled at Eden Park in Auckland.

However, Reddy will only be available for the opening fixture of the ODI series before linking up with the red-ball squad to prepare for the upcoming two-match Test series. The multi-format tour continues to provide critical playing time and selection battles as both national teams fine-tune their squads across formats.