On this day in 2020: India defeat NZ in a thrilling Super Over

The rivalry between India and New Zealand cricket teams has certainly intensified in the last few years. In fact, the Kiwis played a vital role in keeping India away from glory in the last three ICC events – T20 World Cup 2021, the inaugural World Test Championship and 2019 World Cup. However, the Men in Blue got the better of New Zealand on this particular day (January 31) in 2020.

It was the fourth T20I of the five-match series and the venue was the Sky Stadium in Wellington. Having lost the previous three games, the Blackcaps had already lost the series and were playing for pride. On the other hand, the visitors had no reason to slow down. It must be noted that the previous clash ended in a tie and a Super Over followed.

The case was the same in this game. The hosts elected to field first and the bowlers justified the decision. While opener KL Rahul played some delightful shots at one end, other top-order batters couldn’t make a mark. Hence, the Virat Kohli-led side found themselves struggling at 52/3. The problem even escalated as Rahul perished for 39 in the ninth over.

Nonetheless, Manish Pandey took over the baton and slammed a remarkable fifty. Shardul Thakur’s handy 20-run knock meant the visitors posted 165/8 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, New Zealand lost the veteran opener, Martin Guptill, with 22 runs on the board. However, Colin Munro joined forces with Tim Seifert and the duo steadied the ship with quickfire fifties.

New Zealand’s batting collapse brought India back in the hunt

The equation came down to the Kiwis needing 70 runs off 51 balls with nine wickets in hand. Just when New Zealand’s win looked like a mere formality, Indian bowlers inflicted a batting collapse. Wickets fell like a pack of cards as India suddenly found themselves back in the hunt. The game eventually ended in a draw with the Kiwis managing 165/7.

The Super Over followed and the Kiwis sent Seifert and Munro to tackle Jasprit Bumrah. The two batters smashed one boundary apiece as the hosts managed 13/1 in the super over. Chasing 14, Rahul smashed Tim Southee for a six and four in the first two deliveries. Skipper Virat Kohli did the formalities by smashing a boundary in the penultimate ball, sealing the game for India.