"The law of averages will eventually catch up" - Former RCB player sums up India's massive 87-run loss in NZ vs IND 2026 4th T20I

Former wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik opined that India's high-octane batting approach was bound to fail at some stage after they failed to chase down a massive target of 260 in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Auckland, falling short by 87 runs. The Men in Blue suffered their first loss in the series after a poor bowling display, followed by an early batting collapse in the powerplay.

After putting the Blackcaps in to bat first, the in-form Glenn Phillips made 107 off 49 balls, his third T20I hundred, while Michael Bracewell smashed 65 off 25. New Zealand climbed from 112 for four in the 11th over to 227 for five in the 17th, and Nitish Kumar Reddy's 16th over went for 32 as Phillips took him for four successive sixes in an over.

In the run chase attempt, Jacob Duffy dismissed Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, in the very first over, reducing India to 4-2. Abhishek Sharma (27 off 15) and Iyer (22 off 11) counter-attacked briefly, but India were 61 for four at the end of the powerplay, and only Tilak Varma's 35 off 35 and Naman Dhir's 28 off 13 held the innings together for any length of time. Duffy returned to strike twice in two balls and finished with 4 for 23 as the visitors ended with 172-9 in reply.

Dinesh Karthik remarked that it was not India's day and their high-risk batting approach did not work after the initial success in the series.

“We got smacked. 259 is a huge score, and the law of averages will eventually catch up, and it so happened that today was not meant for India. Picking up 4 wickets in the powerplay pretty much seals the deal if you are a bowling side defending a score. India had to come out all guns blazing, which they did, which they tried. The first three games it worked. Today, it did not,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“I do feel, the way India batted, was with the genuine intent of trying to decimate New Zealand in the powerplay, which they have done very well so far. But when you are playing such high-octane cricket, big shots right from the get-go, you need a little bit of luck as well. Sanju Samson is an example. The first ball was a boundary, and he got out the next ball looking for another big shot. India did not get much going today,” he added.

In Wellington on Tuesday, India had chased down 199 in 13.2 overs, with Abhishek making 113 off 38 balls. They could not replicate the same approach in the fourth T20I, with Duffy's new-ball spell also setting the tone for New Zealand early on.

"I won't read too much into this performance" - Ambati Rayudu on India's loss in NZ vs IND 2026 4th T20I

Ambati Rayudu, alongside Karthik on the same panel, urged the fans and critics not to be too harsh on India's performance as they have delivered results with the same approach earlier.

“I won't read too much into this performance because you still want to keep that freedom going, and you don't want doubts to creep, especially into this batting line-up, which has been exceptional. They have the skills to back it up, and there will always be days like this,” Ambati Rayudu said.

The tour moves to Seddon Park in Hamilton for the fifth and final T20I on Sunday, November 1. India have the series wrapped up with an unassailable 3-1 lead. The Men in Blue's stunning 11-game unbeaten run in New Zealand in the shortest format ended with the recent loss.

Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️