The spin trio of Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi wreaked havoc on the spin-friendly Ranchi wicket and helped New Zealand beat India by 21 runs in the 1st T20 International.
Chasing a daunting 177-run target, the hosts were off to a horrid start as they were reduced to 15-3 inside 4 overs. Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya then stitched a 68-run stand to bring India back into the game.
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However, once both Surya and Hardik went back to the pavilion, India's lower order crumbled and eventually, the hosts were restricted to 155/9.
Earlier, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell produced commanding half-centuries as the Black Caps posted a challenging 176 for six. Conway continued his purple patch in India with a 35-ball 52, while Daryl Mitchell smashed a 30-ball unbeaten 59, which included a last-over thrashing of Arshdeep Singh that cost India 27 runs.