Kolkata:
Choosing to bat first, India amassed 184 runs against Kiwis in the third T20 International of three-match T20 series, which Men in Blue have already won.
The lower-order batsmen gave the finish that the skipper might have expected when he chose to bat first after winning the toss.
Blackcaps have successfully chased many big targets, including the 201 targets against Zim Hamilton in 2012.
Highest target successfully chased by NZ in T20Is
201 vs Zim Hamilton 2012
176 vs WI Auckland 2020
175 vs SL Pallekele 2019
Kiwis had to struggle to break the opening partnership when the Rohit-Ishan duo garnered 69 runs in the powerplay before losing their opening wicket.
The jam-packed audience in one of the greatest cricket stadiums, Edens Garden, got many moments of cheers when Ishan Kishan hit six fours for India.
Ishan Kishan was followed by Suryakumar Yadav to the dressing room when he was dismissed playing the fourth ball without any run.
In the spectacular innings, Rohit surpassed Virat Kohli, hitting the 30th T20 International half-century against the black caps.
Rohit repeated the last game as the hitman hit a total of 8 boundaries with 3 maximums.
Ish Sodhi’s one-hand catch came as a surprise for the Indian skipper as it caused him to return to the pavilion.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner cleaned out India’s top order bringing some sigh of relief for the team. The other bowlers for Kiwis took a wicket each from time to time but could not stop Men in Blue from putting a challenging score on board.
Indian coach Rahul Dravid will keenly observe the performance of the bowlers when they defend against Kiwis after the innings break.
Yuzuvendra Chahal in playing his 50th T20 International, after a long break, would have big shoes of Ashwin to fill in the game.
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