Dube’s Record Blitz Fails to Save India

In a spectacle of raw power hitting at Visakhapatnam, Shivam Dube etched his name into the record books with a blistering 15-ball half-century. However, his individual brilliance was not enough to prevent a clinical New Zealand side from securing their first win of the series. Despite India’s 50-run defeat in the fourth T20 International, the hosts maintain a dominant 3-1 lead in the five-match encounter.

The Dube Hurricane

The highlight of the match was undoubtedly Dube’s assault on leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. Entering the fray with India reeling, Dube turned the 12th over into a personal shooting gallery. After a modest two runs off the first delivery, the left-hander unleashed a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, plundering 28 runs in a single over.

Dube reached his fifty in just 15 deliveries, making it the third-fastest T20I half-century for India, trailing only Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) and Abhishek Sharma (14 balls). His innings was eventually cut short at 65 off 23 balls by a cruel stroke of luck; a straight drive from Harshit Rana deflected off bowler Matt Henry’s fingers onto the non-striker’s stumps, leaving Dube stranded.

New Zealand’s Dominant Total

Earlier, the Black Caps set a formidable target of 215/7, thanks to a flying start from openers Devon Conway (44) and Tim Seifert (62). The pair put on a century stand that laid the foundation for a high-scoring innings. Cameos from Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips ensured the momentum was maintained, despite a disciplined middle-overs spell from Arshdeep Singh.

India’s Run Chase Collapses

The chase began disastrously for India as Abhishek Sharma—the hero of the previous match—fell for a golden duck. When Captain Suryakumar Yadav holed out shortly after, India were foundering at 9/2.

Although Sanju Samson (24) and Rinku Singh (39) offered support to Dube, the middle-order lacked the necessary longevity. Once Dube was dismissed in the 15th over with the score at 145/6, the tail offered little resistance. India lost their final four wickets for just 20 runs, bowled out for 165 with nine balls to spare. Mitchell Santner was the pick of the bowlers, his three wickets stifling the Indian momentum whenever a partnership threatened to blossom.