Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan expressed his disappointment over Naman Dhir dropping Tim Seifert in the early stages of New Zealand’s chase in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Notably, Seifert received a chance when he was batting on 13 in the fourth over of the 192-run chase. In Arshdeep’s second over of his first spell, Seifert lofted one towards deep backward point where Dhir moved across and got both hands, but eventually spilt it down, putting down a simple catch.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan asserted that had Dhir taken that catch, the game would have been pretty different for both sides. Interestingly, Seifert went on to score a match-winning 93 off 50, including 11 fours and five sixes, taking the game away from India.
“Tim Seifert scored almost 100 runs, finishing with 93. When his catch was dropped, he was batting on around 13-14. The catch was dropped by Naman Dhir. The lights were certainly a factor where he was positioned, and the ball was dipping slightly. It also seemed that Naman was a bit relaxed. That catch, in particular, could have changed things had it been taken,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“Once he got that opportunity, he never looked back. His batting was absolutely brilliant. And the way he maintained the momentum was commendable, which is why it never felt like New Zealand were out of the game at any point,” he added.
Delving into the details of the fifth T20I, India was tasked with batting first, and they posted an imposing total of 191/8 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan (61), Shreyas Iyer (50), and Naman Dhir (33) were good enough in the first innings. Adam Milne scalped a four-wicket haul.
In the chase, New Zealand took only 18 overs to cross the winning line with seven wickets in hand. Tim Seifert was the wrecker-in-chief, scoring 93 off 50, while Glenn Phillips amassed 65* off 38 to win it for their side.
