How Was Shreyas Iyer's Captaincy In The 5th ODI? New Zealand Skipper Mitchell Santner Gives His Judgment Post-Match

India defended 209 to beat New Zealand by 22 runs in the fifth and final ODI at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, sealing the series 3-1 as Shreyas Iyer’s pace-first bowling plan paid off.

New Zealand were bowled out for 187 in 48.1 overs after slipping from 64 for 1 in a chase of 210. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised Iyer’s reading of the conditions after he held back Axar Patel and leaned on his quicks.

That call shaped the game. Iyer delayed Axar’s introduction until the 36th over as India’s seamers kept finding movement and breakthroughs, turning a modest total into a series-clinching win.

Pace Plan Pays Off

Iyer waited on spin.

New Zealand looked steady at 64 for 1 before India changed the chase with wickets at key moments. Santner said the turning point came from the way Iyer used his bowlers and from India’s willingness to return to their strike seamers when the game needed a push.

“I think Shreyas was great with the way he rotated his bowlers. He obviously held off Axar, knowing that the seamers were the threat. There were a couple of moments when they brought back their strike bowlers to get wickets,” Santner said in the post-match press conference.

Mohammed Siraj broke the stand by dismissing Tim Seifert for 14 and then removed Finn Allen to stop New Zealand from taking control at the top. Arshdeep Singh led the attack with 10-2-30-3, dismissing Will Young, Nick Kelly and Kristian Clarke as India tightened their grip.

Support came from across the attack. Yash Thakur and Auqib Nabi also took wickets, while Axar eventually dismissed Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner after coming on late. Naman Dhir removed Santner as New Zealand’s middle order failed to rebuild the chase.

Santner Explains Chase

Pace caused the damage.

Santner said Iyer correctly judged where the threat lay and backed his seamers through the key phases of the chase. With only 200 on the board, he felt New Zealand still had room to manage the game if they could survive that burst.

“I think Shreyas knew the threat was from the seamers and went all out with them. As a batting unit, if you can prolong that phase, there isn't a lot of scoreboard pressure with 200 on the board. The longer you can take it, the better your chances,” Santner said.

He added that spin was less difficult to handle, but New Zealand failed to make that advantage count when India’s main fast bowlers returned. “I think spin felt a little easier to face. If we could have got through those couple of phases, particularly when Mohammed Siraj was brought back and Arshdeep Singh picked up wickets, we could have cashed in,” Santner added.

Next Test Series

India now switch formats.

They will next play a two-match Test series against New Zealand. The first Test starts in Wellington on November 19.