Flashback: The lowest total defended against India in T20Is
India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup held in South Africa in 2007 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. The Men in Blue have come a long way in the format and have now played 200 T20 internationals. They are one of the powerhouses in the cricketing world and competing against them has not been that easy. Defending a low target against India, who have always been batting-heavy with star-studded players, is not what happens every day but New Zealand did something special.
India and the New Zealanders locked horns in the opening fixture of the T20 World Cup 2016 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first on a spin-friendly track. The Kiwis went with the ‘horses for courses’ approach as they went with three spinners in the form of Mitchell Santner, Nathan McCullum, and Ish Sodhi and excluded their experienced pace duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
The top three players, Martin Guptill, Williamson, and Colin Munro all bagged single-digit scores as New Zealand got off to a bad start. Veteran middle-order batter Ross Taylor scored only ten while all-rounder Santner racked up 18 runs. But it was hard-hitter Corey Anderson who top-scored for his side with his innings of 34.
Wicketkeeper batter Luke Ronchi provided the finishing touches as he scored an unbeaten 21 off 11, with the Kiwis managing to cross the 120-run mark and posting a total of 126/7 on the board. Barring Hardik Pandya, all the other five Indian bowlers chipped in and picked up a wicket each. What looked like a straightforward victory for the heavy favourites Indian team, turned out to be a disaster for the home side.
Santner’s super spell
The Kiwis, like they always punch above their weight in the ICC tournaments, came out with all guns blazing and gave the hosts a taste of their own medicine. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Yuvraj Singh all bagged single-digit scores while Virat Kohli made 23 off 27. India struggled against the spin bowling of the Kiwis as they looked down and out at 43/7.
Dhoni gave a glimmer of hope by scoring a run-a-ball 30 but with his wicket, all the hopes were dashed as India got bundled out cheaply for just 79 in 18.1 overs. Santner was the pick of the NZ bowlers for his solid spell of 4/11 (4). Sodhi and McCullum snared three and two scalps each as New Zealand stunned the Indians on the opening night of the World Cup with a 47-run victory. For his match-winning spell, Santner grabbed the Player of the Match award.
