Nagpur: India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the first T20 match of the five-match series here to take a 1-0 lead. Glenn Phillips (78 runs off 40 balls, six sixes, four fours) fought a lone battle for the visitors, while Mark Chapman scored 39.
World No.1 T20 bowler Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube picked up two wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel claimed one wicket apiece. Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless, conceding 29 runs.
Chasing a massive target of 239 runs, New Zealand crumbled under pressure and could manage only 190 for seven in their 20 overs.
The Kiwis got off to a disastrous start, losing Devon Conway for a duck and Rachin Ravindra for just one run in the Nagpur match. Conway was caught behind off Arshdeep Singh, while Ravindra was dismissed by Hardik Pandya, caught by Abhishek Sharma. After three overs, New Zealand were struggling at 13 for two.
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Earlier, after being put in to bat, India piled up 238 for seven in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma smashed a brilliant 84 off just 35 balls, including eight sixes and five fours. Hardik Pandya contributed a quick 25 off 16 balls (one six, three fours), while Rinku Singh played a destructive unbeaten knock of 44 off 20 balls, hammering three sixes and four fours to completely upset the Kiwi bowlers’ plans.
Among the seven New Zealand bowlers, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson took two wickets each, while Christian, Ish Sodhi and skipper Mitchell Santner picked up one wicket apiece.
The second match of the series will be played on Friday, January 23, in Raipur.
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