Nagpur, Jan 21 (UNI) India stormed to a commanding 48-run victory over New Zealand in the first T20 International of the Black Caps’ tour of India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday, thanks to a spectacular batting display from Abhishek Sharma and a brutal finishing cameo from Rinku Singh.
Put into bat by New Zealand after winning the toss, India stumbled early when Sanju Samson was dismissed for 2 in the second over, flicking Kyle Jamieson straight to Rachin Ravindra after hitting two boundaries. Ishan Kishan also fell cheaply for 8, mistiming a slower delivery from Jacob Duffy that was well taken by Mark Chapman.
With India two down inside three overs, Abhishek Sharma took full control of the innings. Fearless and aggressive, he repeatedly punished the New Zealand bowlers, pulling Jamieson, dispatching slower balls, and driving anything in the slot. The highlight of his innings was a blistering 50 off just 22 balls, earning loud cheers from the Nagpur crowd.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav offered valuable support, striking the ball confidently through drives and sweeps, including a pick-up six off Kristian Clarke. The duo added 99 crucial runs for the third wicket, keeping India on a strong footing. The partnership ended in the 11th over when Suryakumar, on 32, lofted Mitchell Santner straight to Tim Robinson at long-on.
Abhishek continued his onslaught, hammering Ish Sodhi for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket and long-off before holing out to Jamieson at long-on for a scintillating 84 off 35 balls, featuring five fours and eight sixes. One notable shot saw him advance on a flighted delivery outside off stump and smash it flat, narrowly escaping a spectacular attempt by Mitchell at long-off, who jumped high but could not control the ball before it crossed the ropes for six.
Hardik Pandya (25 off 16) maintained the momentum, attacking Santner and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Shivam Dube joined briefly and pulled Jamieson for six but was caught in a soft chance.
Rinku then delivered a finishing act that completely unsettled the New Zealand bowlers. He punished Jamieson’s deliveries with crisp off-drives, swivelled Clarke over long leg, and unleashed a devastating penultimate over, hitting two sixes and two boundaries, finishing unbeaten on 44 off 20 balls. Arshdeep Singh also chipped in with a lofted boundary off Duffy, while Axar Patel fell attempting to clear long-off, misjudging Clarke’s slower delivery.
The innings also saw a couple of near-misses in the field: at 18.2, Arshdeep Singh to Mitchell, a simple catch at deep mid-wicket was dropped by Ishan after he got both hands to it; and at 10.1, a slower off-cutter to Mark Chapman was misfielded by Rinku at deep backward square-leg, hitting his collarbone before he failed to secure it on the rebound.
India eventually finished on 238 for 7, just two runs short of 240.
In reply, New Zealand struggled to match India’s scoring pace despite a brilliant 78 off 40 balls from Glenn Phillips and a 39 off 24 balls from Mark Chapman. Devon Conway and Kristian Clarke scored ducks, and timely breakthroughs from Arshdeep Singh (1/31), Varun Chakaravarthy (2/37), Shivam Dube (2/28), Hardik Pandya (1/20), and Axar Patel (1/42) kept India firmly in control.
Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson were New Zealand’s most successful bowlers, each claiming two wickets, though Jamieson went for 54 runs while Duffy conceded just 27.
The New Zealand innings ended at 190 for 7 in 20 overs, leaving India victorious by 48 runs in a game dominated by explosive batting and disciplined bowling.
Brief Scores:
India 238/7 (20 overs) – Abhishek Sharma 84, Rinku Singh 44*, Suryakumar Yadav 32; Jacob Duffy 2/27, Kyle Jamieson 2/54
New Zealand 190/7 (20 overs) – Glenn Phillips 78, Mark Chapman 39; Arshdeep Singh 1/31, Varun Chakaravarthy 2/37, Shivam Dube 2/28
