Asked to bat first, NZ openers Martin Guptill (31 off 15) and Daryl Mitchell (31 off 28) came all guns blazing against India’s new-ball bowlers, scoring 60+ runs in the powerplay overs. However, spinners led a swift comeback. Later, debutant Harshal Patel continued his good run of form from the IPL to international cricket.
Patel returned with impressive figures of 2/25 in four overs. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar scalped a wicket each to restrict the Black Caps to 153-6.
Chasing 154 runs on a tricky wicket, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma paced the Indian innings perfectly. They picked the bowlers and targeted them accordingly. Rahul scored 65 off 49 while Rohit chipped in with 36-ball 55 to set up the chase.
After both openers returned to the dugout, Venkatesh Iyer (12*) and Rishabh Pant (12*) ensured that the Men in Blue reach home easily.
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