India kicked off the five-match T20I series against New Zealand in an impressive manner, getting a thumping 48-run win in the first T20I. A whirlwind opening knock by Abhishek Sharma and a brutal finishing burst by Rinku Singh were the cornerstones of India’s commanding performance.
Opting to bat after New Zealand elected to field, India came out all guns blazing. All the top five batsmen had hit the fence early, but it was Abhishek Sharma who took centre stage. The southpaw scored a sensational 84 (off 35 balls) with five fours and eight sixes to destroy the New Zealand bowlers. His fifty came off just 22 balls, which was the fastest by an Indian against New Zealand in T20Is.
Despite losing early wickets, including Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, Abhishek and Suryakumar Yadav pressed the accelerator throughout the powerplay. Suryakumar struck a breezy 32 off 22 balls before he departed to spin, but Abhishek never took his foot off the pedal even after powerplay was over.
India slowed down briefly in the middle overs, but New Zealand’s bowlers successfully varied their pace to get the wickets of Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel. But Rinku Singh came to the fore again, a five-sixer with 44 off 20 balls. He hit two fours and a couple of sixes that made his final over look sensational, taking India to a huge 238.
In response, New Zealand’s chase never really got going. They were two down for one, and put the visitors under immediate pressure. Glenn Phillips resisted with a brilliant 78 off 40 balls, smashing some towering sixes as he briefly kept New Zealand in the hunt. However, with the run rate to consider as well, his dismissal virtually shut out their chances.
India’s bowlers continued to keep things tight with regular strikes during the innings. There were useful late contributions from Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell, but New Zealand were never near chasing down India’s commanding total.
India’s only worry was Axar Patel’s finger injury, suffered while fielding, who went off the field and will be assessed ahead of the next games.
With this overwhelming victory, India go 1–0 up in the T20I series and assert that their batting depth and power will take over for the games to follow.
