IND vs NZ, 1st T20I: Abhishek, Rinku ensure India has fruitful outing in Orange City

Abhishek Sharma has a lovely bat swing. And he used it to good effect at the VCA Stadium on Wednesday.

His 35-ball 84 propelled India to 238 for seven in 20 overs, setting up the hosts’ 48-run victory over New Zealand in the first T20I.

Glenn Phillips (78, 40b, 4×4, 6×6) put up a brave fight, but it was not going to be enough as the visitors could only manage 190 for seven in 20 overs.

The Indian batters played with intent and freedom, having full faith in the extent of their batting order. New Zealand chipping away with wickets did not deter the home side as it took the aggressive route throughout the whirlwind innings.

Abhishek asserted dominance, often charging down the track and giving himself room to confuse the bowlers. The Indian opener hit more sixes than fours (5×4, 8×6) in his entertaining essay. Two of Abhishek’s boundaries came thanks to Kiwi debutant Kristian Clarke misjudging and misfielding twice near the fence off Phillips’ over, which went for 20 runs. Jacob Duffy was the only Kiwi bowler to return with decent figures (4-0-27-2).

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Apart from Abhishek and Suryakumar Yadav’s 99-run third-wicket stand, India did not have a long partnership. The skipper, during his 22-ball 32 (4×4, 1×6), showed promise of returning to form, particularly when he unfurled his signature pick-up shot for a six off Clarke.

Abhishek couldn’t capitalise on the tough chance dropped by Daryl Mitchell as Ish Sodhi got the opener caught at long-on in the same over. Abhishek, however, was only dismissed after he sealed the record for being the fastest to 5000 T20 runs in terms of balls faced (2898). He broke West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell’s mark of 2942 balls.

India losing wickets regularly did not affect the scoring rate. NZ skipper Mitchell Santner’s choice of giving the ball to Mitchell (his first over of the game) proved catastrophic as Rinku Singh (44 n.o., 20b, 4×4, 3×6) took full toll on the medium-pacer. The 20th over went for 21 runs as Rinku underlined why he is one of the best bets to bat in the death overs.

The Black Caps’ marathon chase had a wobbly start. While Devon Conway was caught behind off Arshdeep Singh (4-0-31-1) off the second ball, Rachin Ravindra, too, departed in the second over when Hardik Pandya had him caught at first slip.

Chasing 239 with the scoreline reading one for two was a near-impossible task. Phillips’ two good partnerships — a 51-run stand with Tim Robinson and a 79-run association with Mark Chapman — would have given hope to New Zealand fans back home who woke up early to watch the match.

Those hopes would have quickly faded once Axar had Phillips caught at long-on in the 14th over. The left-arm spinner not being able to complete his fourth over (16th) after injuring his bowling hand will be a matter of concern for the Men in Blue.

A collective bowling performance — on a track that favoured the willow-wielders — was enough to ensure that India had a fruitful outing at the Orange City.

Published on Jan 21, 2026