Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma's incredible opening partnership saw India defeat New Zealand for the first ever time in a Twenty-20 international match. The 53-run victory in the first of the three T20s helped senior paceman Ashish Nehra end his 18-year long international career on a high.
Dhawan's 80 off 52 balls (ten 4s and two 6s) and Rohit's 80 off 55 balls (six 4s and four 6s) in their massive 158-run partnership — India's highest ever partnership for any wicket in T20Is — helped the hosts reach a massive 202/3. Kiwis didn't make it easy for themselves either with three dropped catches in the course of India's innings.
The visitors struggled to get any partnership going as they ended their 20 overs at 149/8.
Chasing the massive target, New Zealand were never really in the game. After just the first four overs, Kiwis found themselves two down.
First, Martin Guptill was dismissed by a piece of magic from Hardik Pandya. On Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling, Guptill tried to clear the ropes but couldn't connect properly. Pandya, running from long-off put in a full-blooded dive and caught the ball in the air which made the Feroz Shah Kotla crowd go wild.
Then, Nehra could have had a proper sending off with a wicket but Pandya — this time — failed to collect Colin Munro's mistimed shot, running back from covers.
That dropped catch didn't hurt India much as Bhuvneshwar Kumar knocked out Munro's stumps in the very next over and Kiwis were languishing at 18/2 at the end of four overs.
Then skipper Kane Williamson and Tom latham did their best to revive the innings and got the scoreboard ticking.
But Pandya brought an end to the partnership after Williamson (28 off 24 balls) nicked one to keeper MS Dhoni who made no mistake in taking it. New Zealand were 54/3 in 9.1 overs.
Two boundaries in the same over by latham and Bruce did lift the burden slightly off Kiwis' shoulders.
But it didn't last long as in the 13th over, Axar Patel removed Bruce, through a catch by Sharma, and de Grandhomme for a duck after Dhawan took a simple catch. At this stage Kiwis were 84/5.
As New Zealand started to become desperate and mistakes slowly started to creep in. Henry Nicholls hit the ball straight to Kohli at mid-off and tried to take a risky run but the home team skipper dismissed Nicholls with a direct-hit.
Once Dhoni stumped latham (39 off 36 balls) from Chahal's bowling, it was a matter of time before Kiwis were bundled out.
Patel's 2/20 and Chahal's 2/26 were India's standout bowling performances on Wednesday.
After being asked to bat, India started the match on an aggressive note and Dhawan was the accelerator initially. In the second over itself, the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener struck couple of boundaries, but got a lifeline as well.
Trying to cut the ball, Dhawan was not able to clear the fielders inside the circle and it went straight to Mitchell Santner. But the pace of the ball was enough to put off the New Zealand player as the left-handed batsman survived.
Then, Rohit Sharma joined the party and struck the first six of the match in the third ball of the next over off Tim Southee's bowling.
In the third ball of the seventh over, Rohit got a lifeline. On de Grandhomme's delivery, Sharma tried to clear the ropes, but failed to connect properly as the on-rushing Southee at long-off couldn't hold onto the ball despite diving forward valiantly.
The ninth over in particular proved really costly for the visitors. De Grandhomme found it difficult to keep hold of the ball in the dew and bowled two beamers, resulting in two free-hits, which India took full advantage of in scoring 18 runs from that over.
Then, Dhawan brought up his half-century. The second ball of the 12th over saw Shikhar get an inside edge off Santner, but luckily the ball missed the stumps and raced to fine-leg for a single as the left-hander celebrated fifty off 37 balls.
With a single off the last ball in the same over, India raced to 100 for no loss.
In the second ball of the 15th over, Sharma raced to his fifty with a six off Santner. He didn't stop there and hit two more boundaries in the same over.
The next over also cost New Zealand 18 runs with Sharma hitting a maximum, while Dhawan struck two fours as India reached their 150 in no time.
Finally, Sodhi got the breakthrough for the visitors. On the second ball off the 17th over, Dhawan raced forward but failed to connect with the ball as Tom latham knocked off the bails behind the stumps. India lost their first wicket at 158.
Two balls later new batsman Pandya got a nick off the bat as keeper latham made no mistake in taking the catch.
However, India got their act quickly together as Sharma hit a four of de Grandhomme's opening delivery in the next over, while two balls later Kohli launched a massive six over the long-on.
Then, Kohli got a lifeline in the last ball of the over, when an on-rushing Guptill failed to take the Indian skipper's mistimed shot at deep mid-wicket.
Then Rohit was dismissed in a bizarre way. Boult appealed for a nick off Sharma's bat on the last ball of the 19th over. An attempted yorker outside off-stump left the umpires confused and the third umpire's assistance was needed.
Since it was not clear, the decision was ruled in India's favour. However, New Zealand reviewed it and the ultra-edge showed the ball did hit the bat and eventually Rohit had to walk back to the pavilion.
India, however, ended the innings on a high with Kohli hitting a six off Southee in the last over, before Dhoni struck a maximum off his very first delivery on the third ball off the last over as India ended their innings on 202/3.
Between Santner and Sodhi, they both gave only 55 runs in eight overs for two wickets. But, every other bowler was ripped apart by the Indian batsmen on their way to the massive total.