India dominate New Zealand to win 1st T20I in Nagpur, take early series lead

The Indian cricket team started the T20I series with a huge win against New Zealand by 48 runs in Nagpur. The Men in Blue set up a mammoth total on the board, scoring 238 runs in the first innings, thanks to Abhishek Sharma's 84 and Rinku Singh's 44. The entire team's all-round performance helped clinch victory in the first match. 

After being pushed to bat first, India got a solid start from Sanju Samson and Abhishek. But in the second over, Samson was dismissed followed by Ishan Kishan. While the pressure kept rising for India, Abhishek and Suryakumar Yadav kept the scoreboard going. Skipper Suryakumar was dismissed on 32 runs, including four boundaries and one six. 

Later, Rinku Singh came up and played a great cameo, helping India script history. This is the highest score for India in the T20Is against New Zealand. New Zealand's bowling attack failed to take wickets and break the partnerships which became the reason behind such a mammoth target. Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson claimed two wickets each. 

Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube's astounding bowling helped India clinch victory

New Zealand's start was not upto the mark as they lost Devon Conway in the very first ball and Rachin Ravindra in the second over. The wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as the bowlers kept putting pressure on the batters. They failed to form partnerships, which was another reason behind their defeat. Indian bowlers kept the game tight throughout the second innings. Despite losing by just 48 runs, New Zealand batters did try to score towards the end. 

Glenn Phillips's 78 off 40 balls kept the heart beat increasing along with Mark Chapman's 39 off 24 balls. Together, they tried to stitch a partnership and take the game towards the slog overs but both lost their wickets. Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube claimed two wickets each. For an incredible batting performance, Abhishek Sharma won the Player of the Match award. 

Where to watch IND vs NZ matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs New Zealand T20I matches from January 21 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

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