India had outplayed New Zealand in a high-scoring first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series at Nagpur.
India began their five-match T20I series against New Zealand on a dominant note, registering a comprehensive 48-run victory in a run-fest at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21. With nearly two dozen sixes struck across both innings, Abhishek Sharma’s explosive batting proved to be the decisive difference between the two power-packed sides.
Batting first, India suffered early setbacks as opener Sanju Samson failed to capitalise on his return to the top order and was dismissed for 10 off seven balls by Kyle Jamieson. Comeback batter Ishan Kishan also departed cheaply, scoring eight off five deliveries after being undone by a slower ball from Jacob Duffy.
Reduced to 27 for 2 inside the powerplay, India found momentum through attacking opener Abhishek Sharma, who launched a fierce counterattack. He stitched together a rapid 99-run partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav in under eight overs.
Suryakumar contributed 32 off 22 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before being dismissed by New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner.
Abhishek Sharma continued his onslaught, smashing 84 runs off just 35 balls with five fours and eight towering sixes. His innings came to an end courtesy of spinner Ish Sodhi, but the damage had already been done. Hardik Pandya added valuable late runs with a quick 25 off 16 balls, while Rinku Singh provided the finishing touch.
Rinku Singh played a crucial unbeaten knock of 44 off 20 balls, striking four fours and three sixes, as India posted a massive total of 238 for 7 in their 20 overs. For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson claimed two wickets each, with Duffy standing out for his economical spell of 2 for 27 in four overs.
New Zealand Suffer In The Chase
Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand suffered an early blow when Arshdeep Singh removed Devon Conway for a two-ball duck in the opening over. Hardik Pandya followed it up by dismissing Rachin Ravindra for one in the next over, putting the visitors on the back foot early.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy then struck by dismissing Tim Robinson for 21, leaving New Zealand struggling at 52 for 3 around the powerplay. Glenn Phillips led the fightback with a superb 78 off 40 balls, hitting four fours and six sixes. He added 79 runs with Mark Chapman, who scored 39 off 24 balls, to push New Zealand past the 100-run mark.
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Late cameos from Daryl Mitchell, who scored 28 off 18 balls, and captain Mitchell Santner, who remained unbeaten on 20 off 13 balls, helped New Zealand reach 190 for 7. However, they still fell well short of the target.
For India, Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dube picked up two wickets each, returning figures of 2 for 37 and 2 for 28 respectively. The convincing win gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
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