India bounce back to level series

Auckland, February 8 

MS Dhoni watched from 22 yards as his heir apparent Rishabh Pant showed spunk in a tricky situation and guided India to their maiden T20 International victory on New Zealand soil here today. The series-levelling seven-wicket triumph was set up by skipper Rohit Sharma (50 off 29 balls) in the company of Shikhar Dhawan (30 off 31 balls) with a 79-run stand after Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets to restrict the hosts to 158/8. With his whirlwind fifty, Sharma also became the top run-getter in the format, surpassing New Zealand’s Martin Guptill. 

Pant finishes, MS watches  

Dhoni, the original finisher, couldn’t have been happier as he saw Pant control what could have been a tricky 159-run chase with an unbeaten 40 off 28 balls. The series is now tied 1-1, with the decider in Hamilton on Sunday. With the former India captain (20* off 17 balls) playing the role of a mentor, the 44-run stand between the two was significant considering Indian cricket is moving towards a change of guard in the coming days. Pant’s one-handed six off Tim Southee or the drive off Scott Kuggeleijn to finish off the match was reminiscent of Dhoni’s best days. 

Earlier, Sharma’s flicked six off Kuggeleijn over backward square-leg was a treat for the eyes but his dismissal, along with Vijay Shankar’s, did create a bit of unrest in the Indian camp. However, Pant ensured there were no further hiccups, strengthening his case for a spot in the World Cup squad.

Krunal pegs Kiwis back

Krunal enhanced his reputation as a steady short-format bowler with three important breakthroughs as India restricted New Zealand to a below-par 158/8. “We missed a trick or two with the bat. It was slightly tricky to bat, but 20 more runs at the death would have been better,” said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. Krunal (3/28) dismissed Colin Munro (12) and Williamson (20) to push the Black Caps back early in the innings. Besides, he got lucky when Daryl Mitchell (1) fell to an umpiring howler — he was given LBW even though the Hotspot showed a a clear inside edge onto the pads. Colin de Grandhomme hammered a counter-attacking 50 off 28 balls, adding 77 runs with Ross Taylor (42 off 36 balls) for the fifth wicket. Once de Grandhomme fell to Hardik Pandya and Taylor run-out, New Zealand’s chances of posting a big total went up in smoke. — PTI

In Numbers

1 India scored their first-ever win in T20I cricket on New Zealand soil, after three defeats in a row

2288 Runs by Rohit Sharma in T20I cricket, the most by any batsman

4 100s by Rohit Sharma in T20Is, the most by any batsman. He also holds the record for most 50-plus scores — 20

1 Indian batsmen currently own the records for most runs in Tests (Sachin Tendulkar), ODIs (Tendulkar) and T20Is (Rohit)