IND vs NZ: New Zealand run riot as Indian bowlers set unwanted T20I record

For the first time in men’s T20I cricket, five Indian bowlers conceded 40 or more runs in an innings as New Zealand posted 225/4 in the first T20I in Christchurch on Thursday (Oct 22). Finn Allen scored 45 off 24 balls, while Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 82 off 40 deliveries to help the hosts dominate India’s bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 49 runs in four overs, while Arshdeep Singh gave away 45, Mayank Yadav 40, Axar Patel 51 and Nitish Reddy 40.

New Zealand’s total was their joint-highest against India in T20Is and their highest score at home against the visitors. With Jasprit Bumrah missing from the squad, India’s bowling attack struggled to control the scoring despite some early swing.

New Zealand’s openers handled the movement well before attacking the Indian bowlers, as Tim Seifert scored 24 off 17 balls, while Allen took charge during the powerplay.

Bhuvneshwar, playing his first international match in nearly four years, started with a decent first over, however, Seifert hit him for two fours and a six over long-on in his next over.

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Allen then attacked Arshdeep in the following over, which cost India 17 runs and gave New Zealand an early advantage. The hosts regularly found boundaries on the off-side.

Mayank Yadav was introduced during the powerplay and provided India with a breakthrough when Seifert was caught behind off the last ball of the fifth over.

Axar Patel conceded two sixes in the final over of the powerplay, with Finn Allen hitting one over long-off before Daryl Mitchell stepped out to clear the long-on boundary. New Zealand finished the powerplay at 65/1 after six overs.

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Arshdeep later dismissed Mitchell, but Bhuvneshwar continued to struggle, conceding 14 runs in his third over and another 14 in his final over to finish with figures of 0/49.

Phillips remained unbeaten and ended the innings with a switch hit over cover. Bevon Jacobs also played an important role, scoring 31 off 16 balls, including a six off the first ball he faced against Arshdeep.

New Zealand added 67 runs in the final five overs to move past the 200-run mark and post a challenging total for India.