At Hamilton's Seddon Park on November 1, 2026, New Zealand wrapped up the fifth T20I with a seven-wicket win, yet the series trophy had already been secured by India. Head coach Gautam Gambhir responded to the 3-2 series outcome with a collective approach, praising the team's effort rather than dwelling on the final-match defeat.

The visitors had come into the final fixture with the series already in their pocket, having taken an unassailable lead by winning the opening three T20Is.

His three-line post on X read: 'Built as a team. Won as a team. Always for India.' The message captured Gambhir's emphasis on unity as the driving force behind India's series success.

Check Gambhir's post here:

New Zealand then came back strongly, claiming the fourth and fifth matches to close the gap, though the 3-2 scoreline confirmed India as series winners. Gambhir's collective approach in his post-series message on X reflected how he viewed the campaign as a whole, crediting the unit rather than singling out any individual contributor.

How did New Zealand seal the fifth T20I at Seddon Park?

Tim Seifert led New Zealand's chase with a blazing 93 off 50 balls, hitting 11 fours and five sixes, as the hosts overhauled a target of 192 in just 18 overs at Seddon Park. His aggressive knock gave New Zealand early momentum and put India's bowlers under sustained pressure throughout the innings.

Glenn Phillips then carried the chase to its conclusion, finishing unbeaten on 65 off 38 balls with eight fours and three sixes. The third-wicket stand between Seifert and Phillips yielded 86 runs, putting the result beyond doubt well before the final over and ensuring New Zealand ended the series on a high at Hamilton.

What record did Glenn Phillips set across the five-match series?

Phillips brought up his fourth half-century of the series during that unbeaten knock, a level of consistency that few batters have matched in a single bilateral T20I series. In doing so, he entered the same bracket as Mohammad Rizwan and S Ravichandran, who had previously achieved four or more fifty-plus scores within one such series.

Despite New Zealand's strong finish, India's series win had been confirmed before the final match was played. Gambhir's post on X, praising the collective effort and signing off with 'Always for India', underlined his view that the 3-2 outcome was built on shared contributions across all five T20Is rather than any single standout performance.