Abhishek Sharma blasted 84 off 35 balls to power India to a commanding 48-run win over New Zealand in the first T20 of the five-match series on Wednesday.
Riding on Sharma’s eight sixes and five fours, India posted 238-7, the third-highest T20 total against New Zealand. Captain Suryakumar Yadav added 32 off 22 balls, while Rinku Singh finished unbeaten on 44 off 20 deliveries to provide the late surge.
After being sent in, India lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8) early, but Sharma counterattacked and raced to a 22-ball fifty. He shared a rapid 99-run stand off 47 balls with Yadav as India crossed 100 inside nine overs. Yadav fell in the 11th over, and Mitchell Santner (1-37) then helped slow India’s momentum.
Ish Sodhi struck in the following over to remove Sharma, and India slipped to 185-6 in 15.4 overs. Hardik Pandya scored 25 off 16 balls, while Shivam Dube and Axar Patel made 9 and 5 respectively. Singh, however, held firm at the end and accelerated in the final overs to lift India to a daunting total. Kyle Jamieson (2-54) and Jacob Duffy (2-27) took two wickets each for New Zealand.
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In reply, New Zealand’s chase stumbled early as Devon Conway fell for a two-ball duck and Rachin Ravindra made 1. Tim Robinson scored 21 before Varun Chakravarthy (2-37) dismissed him in the seventh over, leaving the visitors at 52-3.
Glenn Phillips kept the chase alive with a 78 off 40 balls, adding 79 off 42 deliveries with Mark Chapman, who scored 39 off 24 balls. Phillips reached his fifty off 29 balls and benefited from a few fielding lapses before he was eventually caught off Axar Patel in the 14th over.
Despite Daryl Mitchell’s 28 off 18 balls and Santner’s unbeaten 20 off 13, New Zealand finished on 190-7, falling well short of the target.
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The series serves as preparation for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, beginning Feb. 7. The second match will be played in Raipur on Friday.