Tim Seifert played a blistering knock of 84 off 43 balls to help New Zeland win the first T20I versus India by 80 runs. The right-hand opening batsman lit up the Westpac stadium with his amazing strokeplay and he says that his effort was inspired by former Blackcaps skipper, Brendon McCullum. 

"I YouTubed Brendon McCullum and watched some of his innings. Kinda funny when I got told that I’ll be opening the innings," Seifert, who struck seven 4's and six 6's through the course of his innings, told Star Sports. 

"Yeah, obviously. I’d be lying if I said Baz wasn’t one of my heroes growing up. Obviously, you try to be yourself out there, but I definitely have looked at Baz throughout my childhood." 

"I kind of just looked at the field and, you know, it’s all in the moment. I don’t really practice it or anything, it’s just kind of in the spirit of it, but I just thought of his angle, and obviously got him slog-sweeping a couple of times, so I thought he maybe might slow it up. Yeah, it’s kind of a little punt you take, but it’s T20 cricket for you." 

Seifert could well be in the reckoning for selection as a back-up wicketkeeper batsman in Kiwi's ICC Cricket World Cup squad. But the 24-year-old isn't thinking along those lines yet. 

"I just go out, do what I do, and hey, if that gets me over the line, brilliant, you know, but still being young, you know, [I’ve] still got time on my side."

"Don’t get me wrong, I want to be at this World Cup, but if I get there, fantastic, it’s a dream come true, but if it’s not then there are things to work on and get to the next one," he signed off.