India beat New Zealand by five wickets with two balls to spare in the first T20I of the three-match series, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. This was New Zealand's second defeat in four nights: they had lost the T20 World Cup final against Australia in Dubai on Sunday night.
This was India's first match since Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma took charge in their respective new roles. Rohit won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first. India fielded a debutant in Venkatesh Iyer, and opted for three seamers and two spinners, leaving out Yuzvendra Chahal.
New Zealand, on the other hand, made four changes to the XI from the World Cup final. They included Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Todd Astle, and Lockie Ferguson.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Daryl Mitchell for a duck with the second ball of the match, but India took their second wicket in the 14th over, as Martin Guptill and Chapman added 109 in 77 balls. Chapman (63 in 50 balls) hoarded more strike, and was the more aggressive of the two early on. He scored his maiden fifty off just 45 balls, becoming the first to score a half-century for two different nations, Hong Kong in 2015 and New Zealand in 2021.
A double-wicket over from R. Ashwin pushed back New Zealand, but Guptill completed his fifty off just 31 balls. He kept accelerating until he was caught at deep mid wicket for a 42-ball 70. Tim Seifert was dropped by Axar Patel, but the Indian bowlers pulled things back, conceding just 12 in the last two overs to restrict New Zealand to 164/6.
Bowling despite an injury, Mohammed Siraj clean bowled Ravindra in the last over. Ashwin (2-23) and Bhuvneshwar (2-24) were the successful bowlers.
In response, Rohit and K.L. Rahul added 50 in the first five overs. Rohit hit two fours and a six off Southee in the third over, and did the same off Trent Boult in the fifth to race to 31 in 17 balls. Coming to bowl in the sixth over, Mitchell Santner (1-19) got Rahul (15 in 14 balls) when the latter hit a long hop to one of only two fielders outside the circle, at deep square leg, for 15.
Suryakumar Yadav joined Rohit and the duo added 59 before lobbed a slower ball from Boult (2-31) to backward square leg for a 36-ball 48. Suryakumar got his third T20I half-century in only his ninth match, playing some attractive shots en route. Just when it seemed he and Rishabh Pant would take India to a comfortable win, he moved across and tried to sweep Boult and was bowled for a 40-ball 62.
Pant held one end up, but Shreyas Iyer never looked set and was dismissed for an 8-ball 5. When he fell, India needed 10 off the last over. Southee trusted Mitchell, who had not bowled until then.
Mitchell started with a yorker far outside the off stump, for a wide. Venkatesh Iyer, on debut, pulled the first ball he faced in international cricket for four, but was caught at backward point while trying to attempt a bizarre stroke next ball. Another wide followed, and Axar Patel got a single, before Pant (17* in 17) slammed one to the long-off boundary for four.
Brief scores: New Zealand 164/6 in 20 overs (Martin Guptill 70; R. Ashwin 2-23) lost to India 166/5 in 19.4 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 62; Trent Boult 2-31) by 5 wickets with 2 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Suryakumar Yadav.