Cricket
oi-Ashish Rana
India
defeated
New
Zealand
by
48
runs
to
take
a
1-0
lead
in
the
five-match
T20I
series
after
a
dominant
all-round
display
in
the
opening
game
at
Nagpur
on
Wednesday.
Beat
NZ
India
defeated
New
Zealand
by
48
runs
in
Nagpur,
taking
a
1-0
lead
in
the
five-match
T20I
series,
fueled
by
Abhishek
Sharma’s
84
runs
and
Rinku
Singh’s
44
runs,
while
New
Zealand
was
restricted
to
190.
Varun
Chakaravarthy,
Shivam
Dube,
and
Arshdeep
Singh
each
took
wickets
for
India.
A
blistering
batting
effort,
led
by
Abhishek
Sharma,
followed
by
timely
wickets
from
the
bowlers
ensured
the
hosts
stayed
in
control
for
most
of
the
contest.
Abhishek
Sharma’s
explosive
knock
puts
India
on
top
Batting
first
after
being
invited
in,
India
were
powered
by
Abhishek
Sharma’s
sensational
84
off
just
35
balls.
The
left-hander
attacked
from
the
outset
and
never
allowed
the
New
Zealand
bowlers
to
settle,
setting
the
tone
for
a
massive
total.
Suryakumar
Yadav
added
32
off
22
balls,
while
Hardik
Pandya
kept
the
momentum
going
with
a
quick
25
off
16
deliveries.
Rinku
Singh’s
late
surge
takes
India
to
238
India’s
innings
gathered
further
pace
at
the
death,
thanks
to
Rinku
Singh’s
unbeaten
44
off
20
balls.
His
clean
hitting
pushed
the
total
to
a
daunting
238
for
seven.
For
New
Zealand,
Jacob
Duffy
was
the
most
effective
bowler
on
a
tough
night,
finishing
with
figures
of
2
for
27
as
the
rest
of
the
attack
struggled
to
contain
India’s
batting
depth.
New
Zealand
show
intent
but
early
blows
hurt
the
chase
The
visitors
began
their
chase
knowing
they
needed
something
special.
Devon
Conway
fell
early
in
Arshdeep
Singh’s
opening
over,
putting
New
Zealand
on
the
back
foot.
Glenn
Phillips
fought
back
with
aggressive
strokeplay,
striking
the
ball
cleanly
and
taking
on
India’s
leading
bowlers,
including
Varun
Chakaravarthy
and
Jasprit
Bumrah.
Mark
Chapman
also
chipped
in,
and
their
partnership
briefly
kept
New
Zealand
in
contention.
Indian
bowlers
seal
a
comprehensive
win
Once
the
Phillips-Chapman
stand
was
broken,
the
chase
quickly
lost
steam.
Varun
Chakaravarthy
and
Shivam
Dube
picked
up
two
wickets
each
to
tighten
India’s
grip.
Arshdeep
Singh
stood
out
again
with
disciplined
bowling
and
key
breakthroughs,
while
Hardik
Pandya
made
an
impact
with
the
ball
as
well.
Bumrah
looked
a
touch
rusty,
but
India’s
imposing
total
ensured
there
was
enough
margin
for
error.
New
Zealand
were
eventually
restricted
to
190
for
seven,
sealing
a
convincing
victory
for
the
hosts.
