In the T20I series opener at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs thanks to a brilliant 84 from Abhishek Sharma, an undefeated 44 from Rinku Singh, and two wickets apiece from Varun Chakaravarthy and Shivam Dube.

Abhishek Sharma’s 84 and Rinku Singh’s undefeated 44 helped India to 238/7, their biggest T20I total against New Zealand, setting them up for victory in their preparation for the T20 World Cup next month.

New Zealand was dropped to 52/3 while chasing 239, but Glenn Phillips’ fluid 78 off 40 balls, which included six maximums and four boundaries, kept them in the running.

New Zealand ended up hitting 190/7 in their 20 overs after Mark Chapman scored 39 off 24 balls and their 79-run partnership off 42 balls momentarily raised expectations of a successful chase before both fell in rapid succession. The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the five-game series as India’s bowlers ended the match.

New-ball bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya each claimed a scalp in addition to Chakaravarthy and Dube. India would be concerned about Axar Patel, who had to leave the field midway through his last over after being struck on the left hand while attempting to stop a boundary from Daryl Mitchell. Jasprit Bumrah, who had returned to the side, was out of rhythm.

Devon Conway edged behind to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who made a wonderful low catch to his left off Arshdeep to start New Zealand’s chase on a shaky note. Soon after, Rachin Ravindra edged Hardik for just one.

In an attempt to respond, Phillips and Tim Robinson both struck seven boundaries. However, Chakaravarthy was successful right away after being introduced in the seventh over.

Robinson was tricked in flight and given a straightforward catch to mid-wicket while attempting to go over mid-wicket. But Phillips persisted, hitting Patel for a six over mid-wicket and continuing to find boundaries. Chapman joined him and added urgency by taking on Bumrah and Chakaravarthy.

Bumrah resumed his attack and created an opportunity right away, but Rinku caught Chapman at deep backward square-leg. Soon after, Phillips reached his half-century in 29 balls. He then carried on his assault by driving Chakaravarthy for runs through the off-side and lofting him for a six over long-on.

Chapman joined in by clipping Axar for boundaries after hitting a six over wide long-on. But in the 14th over, Phillips was caught by long-on off Axar, ending a risky innings that had kept New Zealand in the hunt. Chapman continued to push boundaries, but risks were unavoidable as the asking rate increased.

After holing out to long-on off Chakaravarthy, he was dismissed in the fifteenth over. Together, Mitchell Santner and Daryl Mitchell hit six boundaries in an attempt to reignite the pursuit. However, India’s death bowlers persevered, as Dube dismissed Mitchell and Kristian Clarke on consecutive deliveries to enable India secure a convincing victory.

He was discussing it, but I haven’t noticed. However, it’s simply what we’ve been doing since Day After winning Player of the Match, Abhishek Sharma remarked, “One that we had a plan that we want to play this kind of cricket, and that’s what we are just following.”

“I think you may get an idea of where the ball is going to bowl you or even where I’m going to play my strokes if you watch videos or watch your hitting films as well. However, because I don’t have many shots, it’s always about me backing them. He continued, “It’s just a few shots, and I’m going to practice a lot about that and just execute it.”

“I think it’s always good when we get those numbers on the board, and if there’s a little bit of dew on the board, I think that’s a big positive. And the way we batted, we were 25-2 even after being under pressure in the powerplay, and then we took the game until the fifteenth over, at which point we never stopped all the batters. I mean, having eight batters seems like a decent idea. At the end of the match, India captain Suryakumar Yadav remarked, “It’s been working for me as a team, so if it’s working, let’s continue with that.”

Mitchell Santner, the captain, stated that New Zealand anticipated a difficult match against India. “I believe it was. As you mentioned, you certainly want to win the game going ahead. We had a pleasant day. At home, India is an excellent squad. We were aware of that. Their performance over the past two years has been exceptional. We had a successful game.

Brief scores:
India 238/7 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 84, Rinku Singh 44 not out; Jacob Duffy 2-27, Kyle Jamieson 2-54)
New Zealand 190/7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 78, Mark Chapman 39; Shivam Dube 2-28, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-37) lost by 48 runs