0-3 down to back-to-back wins: Tim Seifert on New Zealand's late fightback vs India

Tim Seifert reflects on New Zealand's late fightback against India after losing the first three T20Is. The hosts won the final two matches, with the opener explaining how learning from early mistakes helped them finish the series on a high.Tim Seifert led the way in New Zealand's win in Hamilton. (Image: AFP)New Delhi,Nov 1, 2026 20:47 ISTNew Zealand were staring at a series defeat after losing the first three T20Is against India. But the hosts found a way to turn things around, winning the final two matches to finish the five-game contest on a positive note.Opener Tim Seifert believes the turnaround came from learning from their mistakes and getting better at handling the decisive moments. However, he rued that New Zealand took too long to find their rhythm, by which time India had already sealed the series.NZ vs IND, 5th T20I: Highlights | ScorecardThe hosts signed off with a convincing seven-wicket win in the fifth T20I on Sunday. Seifert led the chase with a blistering 93 off 50 balls as New Zealand chased down India's 191 for eight in 18 overs. India had won the first three matches to take an unassailable 3-0 lead, but New Zealand responded with victories in the fourth and fifth T20Is.LEARNING FROM EARLY SETBACKSSeifert felt New Zealand had played good cricket in the first two matches in Christchurch but failed to make the most of their opportunities. He believed the hosts could have come away from the city with a very different series scoreline. "Walking away from Christchurch, we could have easily been 2-0 up or at least one-all," Seifert said during the post-match media interaction."We were close in Christchurch. It's just about winning those little margins when the game is on the line."The opener said the final two matches showed that New Zealand had started getting those moments right. Both their batting and bowling units had stepped up, while adapting better to the conditions."I think it was the learning from the previous games. It's just about winning those little margins when the game is on the line. I think the bowlers, the batters have stepped up and adapted to the wickets that we've played on," he said.New Zealand also had to acknowledge India's batting performance in the third T20I in Wellington. Abhishek Sharma's explosive century and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's big-hitting powered India to a six-wicket win with 40 balls to spare, putting them 3-0 ahead."Take your hat off to them. They batted unbelievably well. You can have games like that in T20 cricket," Seifert said.SEIFERT LEADS THE WAYSeifert was among the key contributors to New Zealand's late recovery. After managing just two runs in Wellington, he finished the series with a match-winning 93 in the final T20I.The opener admitted he would have liked to produce such an innings earlier, when the series was still up for grabs."Great to finish the series with a nice knock. But as I say, it would have been nice to do it a little bit earlier when the series was on the line," he said.His latest effort also brought him close to a maiden T20I century, a milestone that continues to elude him. Seifert admitted there was some personal disappointment, even as he prioritised the team result."The main thing is to win. But at the same time, that monkey is still on my back when it comes to getting my first international hundred. So you're still a little bit devastated about that," he said.MILNE'S ROLE IN NEW ZEALAND'S WINSeifert also credited New Zealand's bowling attack for setting up the final victory, particularly Adam Milne, who returned figures of four for 19.He said the bowlers made good use of the slower surface and avoided becoming predictable against India's batters."It was a little bit on the slower side of the wicket. So, it was all about using those slower balls. Milne bowled absolutely outstandingly," Seifert said.The two victories gave New Zealand a better finish to the series, but they could not overturn the damage from the opening three matches."On the whole, it was a good series for us, but obviously, unfortunately, we didn't win," Seifert said.- Ends