After New Zealand’s commanding victory in Wellington, it was India’s turn to turn the tables. The Eden Park, Auckland, the venue for the 2nd T20I, was filled with a huge Indian contingent. And they weren’t disappointed one bit as India bounced back with a clinical performance.
Kane Williamson opted to bat first after winning the toss. The intensity from the visitors was evident from the outset. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided the perfect start by removing Tim Seifert for 12 in the 3rd over. There was a halt in the scoring rate during the powerplay. Krunal Pandya then broke the back of Kiwi batting as he dismissed Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell and Williamson in quick succession.
The hosts were down to 50/4 in the 8th over. Colin de Grandhomme then counter-attacked and along with Ross Taylor, added 77 runs for the 5th wicket. But as his knock of 50 from 28 ended, the Indian bowlers pounced on the opportunity again. Some good death bowling by Bhuvneshwar and Khaleel Ahmed restricted New Zealand to 158/8.
The Indian openers were positive from the beginning. The stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma was at his fluent best. He took the attack to the opposition and scored 50 from just 29 balls. The opening pair added 79 runs that put India in a commanding position.
New Zealand managed to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan and Vijay Shankar along the way. But Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni took the side past the line with a stand of 44 runs. Pant made an unbeaten 40 while Dhoni stayed not out at 20. India managed to level the series and set up a decider in the last game.
Match Summary
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first
New Zealand: 158/8 in 20 overs
Colin de Grandhomme 50 (28), Ross Taylor 42 (36)
Krunal Pandya 28/3 (4), Khaleel Ahmed 27/2 (4)
India: 162/3 in 18.5 overs
Rohit Sharma 50 (29), Rishabh Pant 40 (28)
Lockie Ferguson 31/1 (4), Daryl Mitchell 15/1 (1)
India won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya
Here are best tweets for India’s series-leveling victory
Same teams, same set of players, completely different result. Underlines the great importance of taking wickets early. #NZvIND
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 8, 2019
Leading run-getters in
Tests: Sachin Tendulkar 🇮🇳- 15921
ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar 🇮🇳 – 18426
T20Is: Rohit Sharma 🇮🇳- 2276* – today @ Auckland#NZvInd— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) February 8, 2019
Rohit Sharma brought up a blistering fifty off 28 balls, but was out soon after.
He's now the highest run-getter in men's T20Is, going past Martin Guptill's mark of 2272! 👏#NZvIND FOLLOW LIVE ⬇️ https://t.co/yUSxLXx85m pic.twitter.com/3zkzdyjEbR
— ICC (@ICC) February 8, 2019
#TeamIndia win by 7 wickets. Level the three match series 1-1 😎😎#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/kudlWM0r9X
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 8, 2019
No. of wins for India in T20Is now:
Under Virat Kohli : 12 (20 matches)
Under Rohit Sharma : 12 (14 matches)#NZvIND— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 8, 2019
BIZZARE. ARE WE SERIOUS? Third Umpire has failed the DRS 🙈😱 #Mitchell #NzvInd
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 8, 2019
🌟🌟🌟 Man of the Match @krunalpandya24 broke NZ's back with three crucial wickets to help India draw level in Auckland 💪#CricketMeriJaan #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/JJe89XRipa
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) February 8, 2019
Most 50-plus scores in T20Is:
20 – Rohit Sharma*
19 – Virat Kohli
16 – Martin Guptill #NZvIND— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 8, 2019
Fine cameo by Rishabh Pant.. Fantastic contribution with ball by Krunal Pandya! Rohit revelled as India register their maiden T20I win in New Zealand. Series locked at 1-1. Splendid all-round effort by Team India #NZvsIND
— Navneet Mundhra (@navneet_mundhra) February 8, 2019
Most sixes in international cricket..
476 – Shahid Afridi/Chris Gayle
398 – Brendon McCullum
352 – Sanath Jayasuriya
349 – Rohit Sharma
348 – MS Dhoni
328 – AB de Villiers#NZvInd— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) February 8, 2019
This is India's first win in New Zealand in T20Is. They lost all the three T20Is which they played before.
U.S.A. is the only country where they have not won a T20I yet among countries in which they have played T20I matches. #NZvIND— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) February 8, 2019
Also Read: Who will win the ODI World Cup 2019? Here are the top 5 contenders
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