In a spectacular display of power hitting, India secured a decisive 48-run victory against New Zealand in the opening match of their five-match T20 series at VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The triumph was anchored by world’s top-ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma, who delivered a stunning 84 runs from just 35 deliveries, featuring eight sixes and five boundaries.
India posted an imposing total of 238-7 in their allotted 20 overs, marking the third-highest T20 score ever recorded against New Zealand and only the second 200-plus total at the VCA Stadium since 2009. Captain Suryakumar Yadav contributed 32 runs from 22 balls, while Rinku Singh provided a crucial late innings surge with an unbeaten 44 off 20 deliveries.
Despite a valiant effort from New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips, who smashed 78 runs from 40 balls, and supporting contributions from Mark Chapman (39 off 24) and Mitchell Santner (20 not out), the Black Caps fell short at 190-7. The visitors’ chase was hampered by early setbacks, losing openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra for minimal scores.
The match witnessed several momentum shifts, with India appearing to falter at 185-6 before Singh’s late fireworks propelled them to their formidable total. New Zealand’s middle-order partnership between Phillips and Chapman, which yielded 79 runs from 42 balls, offered hope but ultimately proved insufficient against India’s bowling attack led by Varun Chakravarthy (2-37) and supported by Axar Patel’s crucial dismissal of Phillips.
This series serves as critical preparation for both teams ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup scheduled to begin February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. The teams will next meet in Raipur for the second T20 match on Friday.