Run-fest in Nagpur: India post 238, defeat New Zealand by 48 runs

NAGPUR: India registered a 48-run victory over New Zealand in the first T20 international. Chasing a challenging target of 239 runs, the visitors were restricted to 190 for seven in their 20 overs. With this win, India took a 1–0 lead in the series. New Zealand’s chase was derailed by the regular loss of wickets at key moments. Glenn Phillips, who scored a half-century, was New Zealand’s top scorer with 78 off 40 balls.

The visitors lost early wickets, with opener Devon Conway out for 0 off 2 balls, Tim Robinson scoring 21, and Rachin Ravindra managing just 1. Hope briefly rose when Mark Chapman (39 off 24) and Phillips put together a partnership, but Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Chapman and Axar Patel removed Phillips to break the stand. Daryl Mitchell scored 28 off 18 balls, while captain Mitchell Santner remained unbeaten on 20 off 13.

Christian Clarke was dismissed for a duck, while Kyle Jamieson stayed not out on 1. For India, Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dube picked up two wickets each. Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel claimed one wicket apiece.

Earlier, India posted a massive 238 for seven in their 20 overs. Opener Abhishek Sharma was the top scorer, smashing 84 runs off just 35 balls. His explosive knock included five boundaries and eight sixes at the VCA Stadium.

Malayali batter Sanju Samson was the first to be dismissed for 10 off 7 balls. Ishan Kishan also departed early, scoring 8 off 5. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, batting at number three, added 32 off 22 balls and shared a 99-run partnership with Abhishek for the third wicket. The stand ended when Yadav was dismissed by Santner. Hardik Pandya later scored 25 off 16 balls, while Shivam Dube (9 off 4) and Axar Patel (5 off 5) failed to make an impact.

Rinku Singh provided a strong finish, remaining unbeaten on 44 off 20 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. Arshdeep Singh stayed not out on 6 off 6 balls. For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson took two wickets each, while Christian Clarke, Ish Sodhi, and Mitchell Santner picked up one wicket each.