India won the toss and elected to bat first, and the decision worked well for the hosts as they posted mammoth 234 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of just four wickets. Gill (126) and Rahul Tripathi (44) were the major contributors to the Indian side. Meanwhile, Michael Bracewell and Blair Tickner picked up one wicket each for the Kiwis.
In reply, New Zealand failed miserably with the bat and were bundled out for just 66 in 12.1 overs. Daryl Mitchell (35) and Mitchell Santner (13) were the only batters for visitors to score in two figures.
On the other hand, Indian skipper Hardik Pandya took three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik scalped two-two wickets. Among those two wickets picked by Umran, one came off a lightning delivery which he bowled to dismiss Michael Bracewell.
On the second ball of the fifth over, Umran delivered a fiery ball to Bracewell, which the left-handed batter tried to slog but missed completely and got clean bowled. The 23-year-old Jammu pacer was seen pumped up after the dismissal.
Here’s the video:
Notably, it was the biggest win by a margin of runs between two full member nations in the history of T20Is. With this victory, India also maintained its winning streak in 2023, as it was their fourth win in a limited-over series. Earlier, India had defeated Sri Lanka in three ODI matches and two T20I games.
After these power-packed white ball cricket games, India will next be seen in action in Test format when they face Australia in Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023 commencing on Thursday (February 9) at SCA stadium in Nagpur.
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