Riding on a brutal 35-ball 84 from Abhishek Sharma, India defeated New Zealand by 48 runs in the opening T20I of the five-match series here on Wednesday.
Apart from Abhishek, Rinku Singh (44 not out off 20 balls), Suryakumar Yadav (32 off 22 balls), Hardik Pandya (25 off 16 balls) also chipped in with useful contributions as India posted a massive 238 for seven after being asked to take first strike. In reply, NZ managed 190 for 7 in 20 overs with Glenn Phillips making a 40-ball 78 and Mark Chapman scoring a 39.
For India, Varun Chakaravarthy (2/37) and Shivam Dube (2/28) claimed two wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh (1/31), Hardik Pandya (1/20) and Axar Patel (1/42) were also among wickets.
Brief Scores:
India: 238 for 7 in in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 84, Rinku Singh 44 not out; Jacob Duffy 2/27).
New Zealand: 190 for 7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 78; Varun Chakaravarthy 2/37).
Abhishek’s 84 guides India to 48-run win over New Zealand in first T20I
NAGPUR, JAN 21 (PTI)