Kiwis down India in T20
Thursday, 26 February 2009
New Zealand 166 for 3 (McCullum 56*, Guptill 41) beat India 162 for 8 (Raina 61*, Butler 2-29) by seven wickets
Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram shared an unbroken 60-run partnership to guide New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over India in their opening Twenty20 match, BBC reports.
Set 163 to win, Martin Guptill smashed 41 off 28 balls while McCullum played the anchor role to finish 56 not out.
Oram hit Yusuf Pathan for the 24th six of the game to see the Black Caps home.
Virender Sehwag hit three sixes off the first three balls of India's innings, but wickets fell regularly and only Suresh Raina's 61 held it together.
It had looked like it would be a tough night in the field for the Black Caps when Sehwag launched his initial assault as Tim Southee conceded 19 off the first over.
But Iain O'Brien bowled Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag and when Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed in quick succession, India were 61-5.
Yusuf Pathan smashed a hat-trick of sixes off Nathan McCullum but his eight ball innings was halted at 20 by a spectacular catch on the boundary by Oram.
Harbhajan Singh joined Raina at 101-7 and the duo guided the tourists through the remaining six before the former was bowled off the last ball of the innings for 21 as India posted 162-8.
Ishant Sharma trapped Jesse Ryder leg before in the second over of New Zealand's reply, but Guptill hit three sixes and four boundaries before departing for 41 with the score on 56-2.
Ross Taylor added 31 in a 50-run partnership with McCullum before Oram's late fireworks secured the win.
The second Twenty20 international takes place in Wellington Friday.
Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram shared an unbroken 60-run partnership to guide New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over India in their opening Twenty20 match, BBC reports.
Set 163 to win, Martin Guptill smashed 41 off 28 balls while McCullum played the anchor role to finish 56 not out.
Oram hit Yusuf Pathan for the 24th six of the game to see the Black Caps home.
Virender Sehwag hit three sixes off the first three balls of India's innings, but wickets fell regularly and only Suresh Raina's 61 held it together.
It had looked like it would be a tough night in the field for the Black Caps when Sehwag launched his initial assault as Tim Southee conceded 19 off the first over.
But Iain O'Brien bowled Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag and when Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed in quick succession, India were 61-5.
Yusuf Pathan smashed a hat-trick of sixes off Nathan McCullum but his eight ball innings was halted at 20 by a spectacular catch on the boundary by Oram.
Harbhajan Singh joined Raina at 101-7 and the duo guided the tourists through the remaining six before the former was bowled off the last ball of the innings for 21 as India posted 162-8.
Ishant Sharma trapped Jesse Ryder leg before in the second over of New Zealand's reply, but Guptill hit three sixes and four boundaries before departing for 41 with the score on 56-2.
Ross Taylor added 31 in a 50-run partnership with McCullum before Oram's late fireworks secured the win.
The second Twenty20 international takes place in Wellington Friday.