World T20 Highlights: New Zealand Defeat India By 47 Runs, Continue Winning Streak
New Zealand's bowlers put up a magnificent show as they defeated India by 47 runs in a low-scoring match in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20. Relive all the highlights here.
India's bowlers restricted New Zealand to 126/7 on a slow and sluggish pitch. However, Mitchell Santner and the rest of the New Zealand bowling spun a web around the Indian batting as they ripped the Indian batting apart. Santner finished with 4/11 and his haul, combined with a magnificent display from the Kiwi bowlers, bowled India out for 79 to give themselves a 47-run win. With this win, New Zealand have gone 5-0 up against India in Twenty20 Internationals. Relive all the moments here. (SCORECARD | NEWS | GALLERIES | VIDEOS | POINTS TABLE)
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23:00 hrs IST: Williamson: It was a tough surface. We would have probably liked a few more, but the boys bowled really well and it is pleasing to win against a quality side
Dhoni: It was the batting that let us down. There were quite a few soft dismissals. The shot selection put a lot of pressure on the batsmen who were coming in.
Mitchell Santner is the MoM: I just tried to hit that correct length and kept it very simple.
22:46 hrs IST: WICKET! Nehra is cleaned up by Milne and New Zealand defeat India by 47 runs. They have now gone 5-0 against India in Twenty20 Internationals. For his haul of 4/11, Mitchell Santner is the Man of the Match
22:38 hrs IST: WICKET! Sodhi lures Ashwin out with his flight and Ronchi effects a stumping. India 73/8, need 54 off 21 balls. All hopes on Dhoni.
22:33 hrs IST: WHAM! Dhoni breaks the shackles with a 93-meter six. However, India need a lot more big hits.
22:30 hrs IST: Another great over from Corey Anderson. He concedes just five runs in the over and India need 61 runs to win off 24 balls. India 66/7 in response to New Zealand's 126/7.
22:23 hrs IST: The asking rate is mounting for India. The run-rate is approaching close to 12. However, until Dhoni is there at the crease, one cannot rule out an India win. The match is still evenly poised, although the score might not reflect it.
22:16 hrs IST: Nathan McCullum does not concede many runs. His spell so far is 3-0-15-2. Adam Milne into the attack.
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22:09 hrs IST: WICKET! Brilliant catch from Sodhi. Jadeja stabs a flighted ball to the left of Sodhi who uses his reach to take a good, diving catch. India 43/7 (10.2 overs) versus New Zealand (126/7). Jadeja c and b Sodhi 0 (3).
22:04 hrs IST: WICKET! Santner, you beauty! He fires the faster delivery and Pandya hangs back. He misses and the umpire gives it LBW. That was clipping leg stump. Pandya lbw Santner 1 (7). India 42/6 (10 overs).
21:59 hrs IST: WICKET! What a wicket for New Zealand. Ish Sodhi strikes with a ripping legbreak. The delivery spins away and Kohli goes for the drive, gets an outside edge and he walks. Kohli c Ronchi b Sodhi 23 (27). India 39/5 (8.1) versus New Zealand (126/7).
21:55 hrs IST: After the no-ball, Milne concedes just four runs. India are 33/4 after seven overs, chasing 127 for a win.
21:51 hrs IST: Adam Milne comes into the attack but he oversteps immediately. Free-hit coming up. That was a big no-ball. Milne bowls the off-cutter and Kohli pulls it to Guptill at mid wicket. He throws it to Milne but the bowler loses it and Dhoni comes back. That would have been close.
21:50 hrs IST: Elliott takes pace of the ball as India end the powerplay on 29/4. This target will not be easy. How crucial will the 15-run over from Nehra be?
21:44 hrs IST: WICKET! The game is on in Nagpur. Tossed up delivery outside off, Yuvraj comes on the front foot and drives it back to Nathan McCullum, the bowler appeals and the umpire is not sure. The third umpire checks for the bump ball but Yuvraj has hit it back to McCullum. India 26/4 and in trouble. Yuvraj Singh c and b Nathan McCullum 4 (5).
21:41 hrs IST: Slight hold-up in play as Yuvraj is not happy with some movement behind the sightscreen.
21:38 hrs IST: Kohli eases the pressure by cutting Anderson to third man and flicking a full ball to mid wicket for a couple of boundaries. He and the lower-middle order hold the key for India.
21:34 hrs IST: WICKET! Double-strike for Santner! Wonderful bowling. Raina moves to the off side and looks to work it to the leg side, the ball stops on him and he ends up lobbing a catch to mid wicket. Raina c Guptill b Santner 1 (2). India 12/3 after 2.5 overs.
21:31 hrs IST: WICKET! Santner strikes in his first over. He gets this delivery to spin away and Rohit is lured out of the crease, Ronchi juggles and fumbles slightly but effects the stumping. Rohit Sharma st Ronchi b Santner 5 (7).
21:28 hrs IST: The ball is not coming onto the bat easily. Kohli and Rohit are negotiating the low bounce by watching the ball carefully
21:24 hrs IST: WICKET! Like Ashwin, Nathan McCullum strikes in his first over. This delivery straightens on leg stump as Dhawan misses the sweep, the umpire gives it out. Dhawan lbw Nathan McCullum 1 (3), India 5/1 after 0.5 overs.
21:21 hrs IST: Nathan McCullum opens the bowling. First ball, Rohit chips it in the air past mid-on but Guptill cannot get there.
21:19 hrs IST: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have come out to the middle. How will they approach this chase? It is a sluggish wicket and New Zealand also have three spinners.
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21:08 hrs IST: There is some wonderful news for Indian fans. Before the start of the India-Pakistan match in Eden on March 19, Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bachchan will sing the Indian national anthem. Read about this story here.
21:00 hrs IST: Luke Ronchi gets some big hits towards the end. He smashes a four and a six off Nehra as the bowler gives away 15 runs in the final over. New Zealand finish on 126/7 and India will have to bat cautiously on a sluggish wicket.
20:53 hrs IST: Appeal for a stumping! Elliott plays inside the line of the delivery and Dhoni whips the bails off in a flash, but Elliott had his back foot behind the crease.
20:50 hrs IST: Bumrah finishes another magnificent spell. 4-0-15-1. Fantastic effort from the Indian bowlers.
20:45 hrs IST: WICKET! Four and out! Jadeja bowls this flat delivery slightly short outside off, Santner attempts the pull and top-edges it high, Dhoni collects it. Santner c Dhoni b Jadeja 18 (17). New Zealand 98/6 after 16.4 overs.
20:41 hrs IST: WICKET! Poor shot from Anderson. Fast, pin-point yorker from Bumrah, Anderson moves to the off side and attempts to paddle it to fine leg, he misses and the ball knocks the middle stump out. Anderson b Bumrah 34 (42).
20:38 hrs IST: All depends on Anderson. Will New Zealand get past 120? After 15 overs, they are 88/4.
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20:33 hrs IST: Brilliant spell from Suresh Raina ends. Finishes with figures of 4-0-15-1. New Zealand are in trouble at 78/4 after 14 overs.
20:27 hrs IST: Close call! Jadeja slants this delivery across with a low-arm action and Anderson attempts the slog, he misses and the ball just misses the off stump. In the last ball, Jadeja concedes a couple. A total of 12 runs conceded. New Zealand 75/4 (13 ov).
20:24 hrs IST: Anderson attempts the sweep and he misses, the ball hits Dhoni flush on the right thumb as he tries to collect, he immediately flings the glove off and the physio is out there to attend to him. He is alright and play resumes.
20:22 hrs IST: Mitchell Santner is clueless against Jadeja. First ball, he plays inside the line and gets beaten. It also beats Dhoni for four byes and next ball, Santner does not get to the pitch of the ball.
20: 19 hrs IST: WICKET! Brilliant stuff from Raina. Anderson pushes the ball to the left of Raina who dives to stop it, Taylor is backing up too far and Raina turns and back flicks at the bowler's end, Taylor's bat is in the air and New Zealand are 61/4 after 11.3 overs. Taylor run-out Raina 10 (14).
20:15 hrs IST: Inside-edged but safe! Anderson dances down the track and looks to slog, gets an inside edge that goes past the leg stump.
20:12 hrs IST: Stifled appeal for an LBW first-up from Jadeja but the ball landed outside leg stump. He is getting some grip and purchase.
20:10 hrs IST: Ashwin has bowled as he finishes with figures of 4-0-32-1. Anderson and Taylor the key. Jadeja to come into the attack.
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20:05 hrs IST: Anderson is playing a decent hand so far. Looking at the sluggishness of the pitch, a total of 140 might be good enough. Or, it might not be good, considering how powerful the Indian batting is.
19:59 hrs IST: Williamson gets stumped! Raina joins in the fun. The NZ skipper charges out and Raina bowls a flat and fast delivery outside off, Dhoni effects the stumping. Williamson st Dhoni b Raina * (16). New Zealand 35/3 (6.5 overs)
19:55 hrs IST: Another missed run-out! Williamson taps this delivery to point and Anderson was backing up a bit too far, Jadeja misses the throw at the bowler's end, Anderson would have been a goner.
19:51 hrs IST: Missed run-out! Williamson turns this shortish ball to square leg and hesitates for the single, Rohit Sharma aims at the bowler's end but misses. The New Zealand skipper would have been out.
19:47 hrs IST: The pitch is very slow and sluggish. Batsman are finding it hard for their strokes. Nagpur dishes out another poor pitch.
19:44 hrs IST: After two sixes in Ashwin's first over, he concedes only three runs. New Zealand will have to dramatically rethink their strategy.
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19:41 hrs IST: Second batsman to hit a six and then get dismissed. New Zealand are trying to be too aggressive and they are losing wickets. The onus is now on Corey Anderson and Williamson.
19:38 hrs IST: For all wanting to know who is Colin Munro, he smashed the second-fastest fifty in Twenty20 Internationals. However, Ashish Nehra gets into the act by sending back Munro. The left-hander mistimed the lofted shot and holed out to Pandya. Munro c Pandya b Nehra 7 (6). New Zealand 13/2 (1.3 ov)
19:36 hrs IST: Replays in on the Guptill dismissal! The ball was going over the stumps. Nehra to open from the other end.
19:34 hrs IST: What an action packed first over. Colin Munro gets off the mark with a switch-hit six over deep cover. Next couple of balls, he is beaten. New Zealand 13/1 after the first over.
19:31 hrs IST: What a start to the Super 10s. Ashwin tosses this delivery up and Guptill lofts him straight down the ground. However, next ball, Ashwin has his revenge as Guptill attempts the sweep but is trapped in front. Guptill LBW Ashwin 6 (2).
19:30 hrs IST: A big crowd has turned up in Nagpur for this clash. Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill have come out to open. Ashwin to open the bowling.
Sea of BLUE in Nagpur for #Ind vs. #NZ at #WT20 pic.twitter.com/TEJDlAHVrF
- BCCI (@BCCI) March 15, 2016
19:27 hrs IST: India have played only one match in Nagpur. Against Sri Lanka in 2009, they conceded 215 and they lost the match by 29 runs.
19:23 hrs IST: There is a special tribute for Martin Crowe before the match. Alan Wilkins, on air, is reading out some of the magnificent achievements of one of New Zealand's premier batsman.
19:20 hrs IST: With dew expected as the night progresses, the call to bowl second could backfire for New Zealand's spinners if they cannot grip the ball. India have gone in with their settled line-up.
19:15 hrs IST: NO Trent Boult, no Tim Southee for the Kiwis. Leaving out their two best strike bowlers is a massive call. India, on the other hand, have picked three spinners. Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum are the three spinners for New Zealand.
19:09 hrs IST: Pawan Negi , Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane have missed out for India. Here are the playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand (Playing XI): Kane Williamson(c), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi(w), Mitchell Santner, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi
19:04 hrs IST: New Zealand have won the toss and they will bat first against India in Nagpur. Mitchell McClenaghan misses out for the Kiwis.
18:51 hrs IST: R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will enjoy bowling on this pitch. Looking at the nature of the cracks, the team that wins the toss might opt to bowl first.
18:49 hrs IST: Scott Styris in his pitch report mentions that the pitch has a lot of cracks. There is no grass and it is dry. The spinners will enjoy bowling on this deck. Runs will be hard to come by.
18:44 hrs IST: This will be the first time after four years that India and New Zealand will play a Twenty20 International. These teams have met only once in the Twenty20 World Cup. In 2007, New Zealand defeated India by 10 runs.
18:33 hrs IST: Good news first up for India in the World Twenty20. The Indian women have registered a thumping 72-run win over Bangladesh in the opening match. Mithali Raj was the top-scorer with 42. Will the Indian men give Indian fans double delight?
18:30 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the opening Super 10 match between India and New Zealand from Nagpur. It is a high voltage clash between the tournament favorites and the dark horses. Under MS Dhoni, India are on a magnificent winning streak while Kane Williamson will be hoping for the Kiwis to continue their good form.
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MS Dhoni and Kane Williamson. One a leader of a settled and consistent unit. The other a leader of a team that is in transition following the retirement of a key player. Both teams are in good form heading into the tournament. However, the tag of favorites has been firmly attached to Dhoni's team by all past players and cricketing legends. The Kiwis, on the other hand, will be aiming for a surprise. (Virat Kohli Says India Should Be Calm in World Twenty20)
A Settled Outfit
Dhoni's team looks settled in both bowling and batting. Shikhar Dhawan was impressive in his knock of 73 during the warm-up game against South Africa in Wankhede while the bowlers did a great job during the West Indies warm-up game in Kolkata. (World T20: Odds Favor India to Win Tournament)
However, Virat Kohli was quick to caution that India should not be carried away by all the hype. "It's a big event and the whole feel and vibe is different from a bilateral series. We all have experienced it before and the key is to learn from the past, where calmness is required in big tournaments like the ICC events because you can get carried away or be over-excited." (India's Batting Makes Them Strong Contenders: Mohammad Yousuf)
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar cautioned India not to take the Kiwis lightly. " New Zealand play under the radar. Expectations are less and their batting is fabulous. It will be a cracker of a game against India," he said.
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New Zealand Enter a New Era
On the other hand, New Zealand are entering a new era after the retirement of Brendon McCullum. It has been an emotional period for the team, with the death of Martin Crowe. They will be arriving on Indian shores knowing that they will be facing trial by spin in Nagpur.
However, New Zealand hold an edge over India. In four Twenty20 Internationals, they have never tasted defeat against them and Kane Williamson's team will be hoping to keep the streak active.
The team has an explosive batting line-up. Martin Guptill has smashed three fifties in five Twenty20 matches while Corey Anderson, Colin Munro and Grant Elliott have been in fine form in the warm-up games.
STATS
4 - Number of wins for New Zealand in four Twenty20 Internationals against India. MS Dhoni's team is yet to register a win against them.
5 - Most number of wickets taken by an Indian bowler in Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand. Irfan Pathan holds that distinction.
261 - The number of runs scored by a batsman from both sides which is the highest. Brendon McCullum is the leading run-scorer against India in Twenty20 Internationals.