Super Sixes SRL | India vs New Zealand Evaluation Chart - A Rohit Sharma masterclass leads India to a pulsating victory in a high-scoring thriller

Match Review

You can check out the scorecard and Match Tracker here.

A timely wicket from Ravindra Jadeja in the 14th over of the Kiwi innings turned out to be a massive game-changer in the context of the run-chase. Not only did New Zealand lose one of their experienced men but they also lost the firepower that could have helped them get past the Indian hurdle. Until his dismissal, the right-hander was scoring at nearly 200 strike-rate alongside skipper Kane Williamson. 

Highs and Lows

In 2019, New Zealand got over India - thanks to the brilliance of one left-arm seamer, Trent Boult. So, when they faced the familiar opponents this time around, the management surely would have banked on the seamer to pull off a similar heist. However, it was not to be on the night, with Boult struggling to find the right channel. Ultimately, it was the difference between the visitors chasing an average total of 170 and a target 200 plus. In the four overs, not only did Boult not pick a single wicket but also conceded 39 runs, which was beyond expectations from the pacer. 

Rating Charts

Ten years ago, if you ever told me that a side was going to score 74 runs in the first six overs, I would have gladly called you an overly optimistic person. But, times have changed and so has cricket, with India pulling off a money-heist at home against the sorry Kiwi pace attack. The intent was there, right there from the word go, with KL Rahul and Rohit targeting all the bowlers like they were grade cricketers, scoring at 12.3 runs an over. 

If there was one team in the world that could have taken a head-to-head fight against India in the powerplay overs, it is Kane Williamson’s side. In the powerplay, not once, twice or thrice but numerous times have we seen the BlackCaps perform exceedingly well up till the six-over mark in a T20I game. This time around, the fight was a little bit slow at the start, with the visitors just scoring 46 runs through the powerplay phase. 

The difference between India and New Zealand in the encounter was the middle-phase, where India pounced on all the opportunities at their disposal. It all started in the seventh over, just after the powerplay, where Rohit-Rahul put on a show, scoring 14 runs. The trend just continued throughout the middle-phase where India amassed 105 runs at nearly ten runs an over, losing just two wickets. 

A fantastic recovery was the doctor’s call after the initial cramped up powerplay overs for the visitors. It was exactly what the duo of Taylor-Williamson in the middle-phase, as they continued playing their spirited-free aggressive cricket combined with the cricketing nuances from Williamson. It nearly got them across the line yet on the night, it was way short of what India managed to do earlier in their innings. 

India’s death bowling, despite having the host of crazy names was bad if not worse. They nearly conceded the game to the visitors, put it on a golden plate and nearly traded it for an early L. The duo of Bumrah-Saini conceded 34 runs in the last three from what was an easy victory for the Indian side. In total, India conceded 63 runs in the final phase of the innings before wrapping up the victory. 

New Zealand’s death-bowling was remarkable, it almost was reminiscent of the best of T20I bowling. The two spinners alongside their pace duo put on a true show for the visiting fans, conceding just 33 runs against two of the best batsmen in the T20I format - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Alongside that, they also picked up the wicket of the Indian skipper, leaving India in a bad state of affairs following the end of their innings. 

The game was pretty well one-sided for the first half of the innings before New Zealand batsmen tried to turn an unfavourable fortune around. Talking about the game - it had everything, sixes, huge ones, some spectacular batting performance and of course, a Rohit Sharma masterclass.