IND VS NZ T20I

That is it from this game! India has taken a 1-0 lead in the T20I series. The second T20I of the series will be played on 19th November 2021 at Ranchi. That game will begin at 7 pm IST (1:30 pm GMT). We look forward to see you there. Till then, cheers and goodbye!

Suryakumar Yadav wins the Man of the Match award for his gun blazing effort with the bat. He says, he has not been doing anything different. He tries to bat the same way in the nets and tries to replicate it on the field. Adds, it was a great wicket to bat on, also with the dew coming on, the ball was coming easier on the blade. He laughs over the dropped catch by Trent and thanks him for that.

Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, says that it was a hard-fought victory. Mentions that it was great learning for those guys who haven't been in the same situation before. Tells that the team is happy that the players got in those situations and finished things off. Adds that it was a great effort from the bowlers overall. Says that the bowlers try to take wickets in the middle overs and put pressure on the batsmen. On Ashwin, he says that he is an outstanding bowler and for him to come back from the T20 World Cup has been good and Axar also knows what he needs to execute. They always bowl in tandem for Delhi in the Indian T20 League and are always looking to take wickets which is a good sign. On Suryakumar Yadav, he says that he batted brilliantly and played some percentage shots as well. Mentions that he has played with Boult a lot and he knows about his weakness. Says that when he captains him, he always tells him to bluff and that's what Boult did. He put the mid-wicket and fine leg up and he knew that he was going to bowl a bouncer. Mentions that he tried to pull but there wasn't much pace on the ball.

Tim Southee, the skipper of New Zealand, says that they wanted to get on the right side of things but they were not at their best. Tells that Mark Chapman played really well considering that he has not played much recently. Adds that it is a game of fine margins and they did not start well with the ball. Says that Daryl Mitchell does work hard on his bowling and they had used all of their resources so they had to go with him for the last over.

Stay tuned for presentation!

Ravichandran Ashwin is in for a chat. He says, there was some purchase off the pitch, when they bowled slowly. Mentions, they did not speak a lot at the halfway stage. Adds, he bowled an over inside the Powerplay, but he realized it late to vary the pace. On being asked, about how Rahul Dravid is as a coach, he says that, we all know what to expect of him. He thinks they should give him some space and hopes to see a happy Indian camp going in the future.

New Zealand did not start well with the ball but it was Mitchell Santner who provided them with the crucial breakthrough and also was the pick of the Kiwi bowlers along with Lockie Ferguson. The other New Zealand bowlers were taken to the cleaners and they did not manage to put pressure on India's batters. The Black Caps did manage to squeeze things at the fag end by picking up wickets but they leaked a lot of runs in the first 10 overs. They were also not up to the mark when it came to fielding and it cost them in the end.

Both KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma carried on from where they left off in UAE and got their team off to a flier yet again. Rahul did get out cheaply but that did not stop the skipper from scoring freely. Suryakumar Yadav came in at number 3 and he started attacking the Kiwi bowlers right from the word go. These two Mumbai boys scored at a brisk rate and put their team in a commanding position. Just when it seemed that India would run away with the game Rohit Sharma perished and after scoring a blistering fifty, SKY too, walked back to the hut. The onus was then on Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to see their team through. Iyer found it hard to find the middle of his bat and he threw away his wicket in the process. In came the debutant, Venkatesh Iyer when India needed 10 runs off the last over. He hit a boundary off his first ball but got out on the next ball while trying to be cheeky. But it was Rishabh Pant who held his nerves in the end and got his team over the line.

This has been a mouth-watering opening game of the series and it is India who go 1-0 up in the three match T20I series, courtesy of some good overall show by their batters as well as the bowlers. New Zealand, on the other hand, would be disappointed as they have failed to bring their A game into the opening fixture, even though they made a match out of it at the fag end.

FOUR! Rishabh Pant wins it for India! Short of a length, on middle. Rishabh Pant advances down the track and smashes it over mid off. Didn't time it that well but the players were inside the ring to stop the single which meant that the ball went all the way towards long off for a boundary. INDIA WIN BY 5 WICKETS.

Takes the pace off, bowls it full and wide. Axar Patel dabs it to backward point for a single. Over to Pant now. 3 runs needed from 3.

WIDE! A slower, full-length ball, outside off. Patel looks to push it away but misses. Wide called by the umpire. Another poor delivery by Daryl Mitchell in this over.

Axar Patel comes out at number 7.

OUT! TAKEN! Four and out for the debutant! Fuller in length, outside off. Venkatesh Iyer tries to be clever and reverse scoop it over short third man but instead chips it straight into the hands of Rachin Ravindra. Pressure back on India now. What an over this is turning out to be.

FOUR! Pressure? What pressure? Back of a length, on middle. Venkatesh Iyer stands deep in his crease and pulls it with disdain towards deep mid-wicket for a boundary. What a way to get off the mark on a debut.

WIDE! Not a good start by Daryl Mitchell! Length ball, way too outside off. Venkatesh Iyer slashes his bat at it but misses. Wided.

Rishabh Pant becomes the first Indian wicket-keeper after MS Dhoni to register 1000 International runs in a calendar year.

Venkatesh Iyer walks out to bat for India at number 6. He comes out at a crucial stage. How will the debutant fare under pressure? Also, Daryl Mitchell comes into the attack now to bowl the final over. A last gamble by Tim Southee.