IND vs NZ: Abhishek Sharma dazzles in Orange City as Men in Blue start 2026 T20I campaign on winning note
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs NZ: Abhishek Sharma dazzles in Orange City as Men in Blue start 2026 T20I campaign on winning note")
IND vs NZ: Abhishek Sharma dazzles in Orange City as Men in Blue start 2026 T20I campaign on winning note Photograph: (X/BCCI)
The 48-run win for India sees them lead 1-0 in the series as they made a perfect start to their final series before entering the T20 World Cup, which starts on Feb 7 on home soil.
India started their 2026 T20I campaign on a winning note as they beat New Zealand in the opening T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday (Jan 21). Playing at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur, Abhishek Sharma was the star of the show as he scored 84 runs and completed 5000 T20 runs to help India win. The 48-run win for India sees them lead 1-0 in the series as they made a perfect start to their final series before entering the T20 World Cup, which starts on Feb 7 on home soil.
India edge New Zealand
Tasked with chasing a massive 239-run target, New Zealand did not have the best of starts as they lost Devon Conway on the second ball of the innings. The BlackCaps were soon 1-2 as they also lost Rachin Ravindra (1) on the third ball of the second over before Tim Robinson (21) and Glenn Phillips (78) steadied the ship with a good 51-run stand for the third wicket. Phillips was the aggressor of the two as he scored 78 off 40 and looked to have his side in the contest.
However, Phillips’s wicket, coupled with a lack of big partnerships, saw the visitors lose ground and ultimately fall short of the target. Phillips and Mark Chapman (39 off 24) also had a healthy 79-run partnership, but the duo could not help New Zealand avoid the defeat.
What happened earlier?
Earlier, India hammered 238/7 batting first, their 44th 200-plus score in T20I cricket. South Africa are second with eight 200-plus scores in the format, followed by Australia with seven and Sri Lanka with six. India's 44th 200-plus score is also the most in T20 cricket, surpassing Somerset, who have notched up 40 200-plus totals in the shortest format. Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 deliveries and completed 500 runs in the T20 format. He reached the landmark in 2988 deliveries, whereas all-rounder Andre Russell reached it in 2942 balls.
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Additionally, a 22-ball fifty by Abhishek Sharma was also the quickest fifty in terms of balls faced for India against New Zealand in T20Is. The previous fastest was 23 balls each by KL Rahul (Auckland, 2020) and Rohit Sharma (Hamilton, 2020). Coming to the match, a blistering knock by opener Abhishek and valuable contributions from Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh and captain Suryakumar Yadav helped Team India to post a daunting 238/7 runs in 20 overs against New Zealand in the first T20I.
Indian captain Suryakumar made 32 off 22 deliveries, including four boundaries and one six. Hardik scored 25 runs off 16 deliveries, including three fours and one six. Towards the end, left-handed batter Rinku slammed an unbeaten 44 off 20 deliveries, including four boundaries and three sixes. With the ball, speedster Jacob Duffy (2/27) had good figures for New Zealand.
