India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: Daryl Mitchell and spinners hand India 21-run defeat in Ranchi
Daryl Mitchell and the New Zealand spinner stole the show in Ranchi as they claimed a 21-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against India on Friday.
The Indian batters had a rough day at the office as they had no answer to the pitch at the JSCA International stadium complex, which assisted the spin bowlers from both sides.
India had won the toss and opted to field first, considering the dew factor. Finn Allen would provide the visitors with a strong start with the opener scoring 12 runs off Pandya’s over.
Allen and Devon Conway stitched together a 43-run partnership before Washington Sundar started to make the ball turn and trouble the New Zealand batters. He got Allen for 35 runs and, in the same over, dismissed Michael Chapman for a duck with a sensational catch.
Glenn Phillips came and steadied the ship alongside Conway as the duo put on 60 runs together. Phillips played a rather uncharacteristic innings as Conway continued his good form in India with a fifty.
Phillips scored 17 off 22 before he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav with the score at 103 for three in 12.5 overs. Mitchell came to the crease at that time and provided Conway some good company before the New Zealand opener skied a slower ball from Arshdeep.
The all-rounder would continue on his merry way as wickets kept falling on the other side. Mitchell would then hit Arshdeep for 27 runs in the final over of the innings as he got to his fifty and finished unbeaten on 59 from 30 balls as New Zealand got to 176 runs.
The chase for India got off to the worst possible start as the New Zealand spinners looked almost unplayable and the Ranchi pitch gave them good assistance.
Ishan Kishan was the first to go as he was bowled by an absolute beauty by Michael Bracewell. Rahul Tripathi was the next to depart without troubling the scoring as India were 11 for two.
Santner then got the big wicket of Shubman Gill as India were 15 for three in just 3.1 overs. Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya then came together and kept the game alive with their 68-run partnership, with the 32-year-old scoring a well-made 47 off 34 balls.
Ish Sodhi would then dismiss the dangerous looking Yadav and Pandya also returned to the pavilion as India were 89 for five and looked well out of the contest.
Sundar then provided some facelift to the score with some late blitz that saw him score 50 off 27 balls. But it wasn’t enough as the Indian innings ended at 155 for nine in 20 overs and New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in the series.