Ind vs NZ 1st T20: Openers run riot

New Delhi: India broke their T20 duck against New Zealand with a 53-run win in the first T20 on Wednesday in what was a bittersweet farewell for local boy Ashish Nehra.

Nehra went wicketless in his final competitive match before his home crowd, two catches dropped of his bowling, but it didn’t stop India from winning their first T20 game in six attempts against the Kiwis for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

New Zealand required a strong beginning in order to chase a stiff 203-run target. Instead, both their openers were back in the pavilion inside four overs, with just 18 on the board. The eventually managed only 149/8.

Earlier, openers Shikhar Dhawan (80, 52b, 10x4, 2x6) and Rohit Sharma (80, 55b, 6x4, 4x6) made the most of dropped chances to put up India’s highest T20 opening stand of 158 in an imposing total of 202/3.

Dhawan began with a couple of boundaries off Trent Boult in the second over, riding his luck when he was floored by Santner at point.

Sharma launched into his innings with an upper cut six off Tim Southee. Dhawan was quicker off the blocks, though, helping himself to five boundaries in the Powerplay, pushing India to 46/0. Dhawan reached his third T20 international half century with a single in the 12th over, and India their century in the 13th over.

Scorecard 
India: R. Sharma c Latham b Boult 80, S. Dhawan c Latham b Sodhi 80, H. Pandya c Latham b Sodhi 0, V. Kohli (not out) 26, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 7.
Extras: (b5, lb1, nb2, w1) 9. Total: (for 3 wkts, in 20 overs) 202.
FoW: 1-158, 2-158, 3-185.
Bowling: Santner    4-0-30-0, Boult 4-0-49-1, Southee 4-0-44-0 (1w), Grandhomme 3-0-34-0 (2nb), Sodhi 4-0-25-2, Munro 1-0-14-0.

New Zealand: M. Guptill c Pandya b Chahal 4, C. Munro b Kumar 7, K. Williamson c Dhoni b Pandya 28, T. Latham b Chahal 39, T. Bruce c Sharma b Patel 10, C. de Grandhomme c Dhawan b Patel 0, H.Nicholls (run out) 6, M. Santner (not out) 27, T. Southee c Dhoni b Bumrah 8, I. Sodhi (not out) 11.
Extras: (lb3, nb1, w5) 9. Total: (for 8 wkts, in 20 overs) 149.
FoW: 1-6, 2-18, 3-54, 4-83, 5-84, 6-94, 7-99, 8-111
Bowling: Nehra 4-0-23-0 (3w, 1nb), Chahal 4-0-26-2, Kumar 3-0-23-1, Bumrah 4-0-37-1 (2w), Patel 4-0-20-2, Pandya 1-0-11-1.