Punjab Newsline,Sports:
India posts 238 in Nagpur and restricts New Zealand to 190, taking 1-0 lead in the series.
India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the first T20 International, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The match was played on Wednesday at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Batting first, India scored 238 runs in their 20 overs.
Abhishek Sharma starred for India with a brilliant 84-run innings. Rinku Singh contributed 44 runs, while captain Suryakumar Yadav added 32 runs. Hardik Pandya also chipped in with 25 runs, helping India set a challenging target of 239 for New Zealand.
In response, New Zealand could manage only 190 runs in 20 overs. Glenn Phillips was the top scorer for the Kiwis with 78 runs, and Mark Chapman added 39 runs. Indian bowlers Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dube took two wickets each. Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel claimed one wicket each. For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson took two wickets apiece.
India’s playing XI included Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah. New Zealand fielded Tim Robinson, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Christian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, and Jacob Duffy.
The second T20 match between the two teams will be played on January 23 in Raipur. India’s strong performance with both bat and ball in the first match gave them a crucial victory and an early advantage in the series.