Kiwis down India in 1st T20I

The highly-anticipated T20 International match between India and New Zealand took place on Friday at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) stadium in Ranchi. The Kiwis emerged victorious, defeating India by 21 runs.

Scores

New Zealand 176 for 6 (Mitchell 59*, Conway 52, Washington 2-22) beat India 155 for 9 (Washington 50, Suryakumar 47, Santner 2-11) by 21 runs

India’s performance in the match was lackluster, with their top three batters being sent back to the pavilion for a mere 15 runs.

Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav tried to salvage the situation with a 68-run stand, but India’s lower order struggled in the death overs. Despite their efforts, India fell short of their target of 177 runs.

On the other hand, New Zealand had a strong start with openers Finn Allen and Dwayne Conway scoring 47 runs in the power play.

Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell also had solid performances, scoring half-centuries to help the Kiwis post a daunting 176/6.

Washington & Santner excel

Washington Sundar was the standout player for India, taking two wickets and scoring a fiery fifty, his first in the shortest format.

However, it was not enough to secure a win for his team.

Kiwi captain Santner, with his 2/11, was the best of the New Zealand bowlers and was well-supported by Lockie Ferguson and Michael Bracwell to stall India’s progress in the chase.

Santner’s performance on the field was also noteworthy, as he bowled 18 dots in his 4-over spell, equaling Daniel Vettori’s record of bowling 18 dots against Bangladesh back in 2010.

The Indian team will now look to bounce back and level the series 1-1 in the next match. This was the 23rd T20 match played between India and New Zealand, with each team winning 10 games, and 3 matches resulting in a draw.

At the JSCA stadium in Ranchi, India has played 4 T20 matches, winning 3.

Daryl Mitchell was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding half-century, scoring 59 runs in just 30 deliveries, with the help of 3 fours and 5 sixes.

He truly turned the game around in the last over, and those extra 15-20 runs made the difference in the match.

With this win, New Zealand takes the lead in the three-match series. The next match is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (Captain), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Dwayne Conway, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Isha Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.