India has drawn first blood in the three-match T20I series, winning the opening game by five wickets in Jaipur on Wednesday. Meanwhile, quite a few records were scripted in the process.
India proved again why it was one of the most excellent chasing sides in the game's shortest format. On Sunday, it trumped New Zealand by five wickets in the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur. As a result, India has drawn first blood, while some records were scripted in the process that we take a look at.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj end a long wait
Ashwin was playing his first T20I since 2017, while Siraj played his first since 2018. Consequently, they had the third and fifth-longest gap between two T20Is of 65 and 52 each. The man who tops the lost is Sanju Samson (73).
Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman break a partnership record
- Guptill and Chapman contributed to a 109-run stand for the second wicket. As a result, it was the highest partnership by New Zealand for any wicket against India in the format, while they went past the previous record of 107 between Colin Munro & Martin Guptill.
- Also, Chapman became the first batter in T20I history to score a half-century playing for two different sides (NZ and Hong Kong).
KL Rahul-Rohit Sharma produce most stands
Rahul and Rohit contributed to yet another 50-run opening partnership. Consequently, the pair has scored the most 50-run stands for India in the format (12), going past the previous record holders Shikhar Dhawan-Rohit Sharma, who did it on 11 instances.
India: The successful chaser
India again came out on top while chasing, something that it has always done better than any other side and caused its failure against Pakistan and NZ in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. India has registered its 50th win in the format chasing, going past Australia and Pakistan with this win.