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'Losing the toss made a difference' - Hanuma Vihari on India's loss in 5th T20I to New Zealand

Hanuma Vihari attributed India's seven-wicket defeat in the final T20I against New Zealand to the disadvantage of losing the toss. With the hosts electing to bowl first at Hamilton on November 1, 2026, the atmospheric conditions and pitch movement allowed Adam Milne to disrupt the Indian top order early on.

India concluded their innings at 191 for 8, a total New Zealand surpassed in 18 overs to finish the series 3-1 in India's favor.

Vihari pointed to technical errors from Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as key factors in the batting collapse, while noting that Varun Chakaravarthy struggled to contain Glenn Phillips during the middle overs. Despite the loss in this final dead-rubber match, Vihari highlighted the series as a productive period for developing squad depth, specifically praising the performances of Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir.

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