155/3 (17.2)
CRR : 8.94
153/6 (20.0)
CRR : 7.65
India won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match
Player
2/25
Jimmy Neesham
31 yrs
Best3/16
Innings36
Wickets21
Economy9.09
Avg27.33
17.1
6
J Neesham to R Pant
Higher and higher and Pant has enough on it to clear the fence. First delivery for Neesham and Pant welcomes him with a maximum. Was it a slower length delivery? Maybe. Pant was up for the challenge. He crouches and clobbers it just over the deep mid wicket fence..
17.2
6
J Neesham to R Pant
Pant goes for his trademark one-handed six to finish the game! What a victory for Team India and they have clinched the series with a game to spare. A comfortable win for the hosts here. It was right in the slot and Pant won't miss out on these. He shimmies down the track and lofts it into the sight-screen.
IND won by 7 wickets
Sourya: India have wrapped up a fine T20 series over a plucky New Zealand team sans Kane Williamson with one match to spare tonight at Ranchi through a dominating seven-wicket win. This means The Rahul-Rohit partnership has maintained their unbeaten run with the teams heading to Kolkata for the final game of the series.
Rohit won the toss and inserted the Kiwis to bat with dew again playing a role. The visitors, propelled by a blitz from Martin Guptill (31 off 15) and Daryll Mitchell (31 off 28) made a great start in the poweplay. The first wicket fell in the fifth over with the score at 48. The Kiwis seemed set for a huge 180+ score at that point with the soaking wet ball not turning and not doing much. But then as things slowed down the Indian bowlers pulled off a great defensive bowling spell using clever variations and changes in line and length. Harshal Patel (2/25), making his debut for India, was brilliant with his cutters and proved his IPL success was no flash in the plan. Ravi Ashwin was also excellent with jaw-dropping figures of 1/19. Axar Patel also played his part in keeping it tight The Blackcaps ended at a disappointing 153/6. Their plight was exemplified by James Neesham scoring 3 off 12.
The famed Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma (55 off 36) and KL Rahul (65 off 49) were majestic in the response with Rahul being the aggressor in-chief at the beginning and Rohit catching up soon. Though the scoring rate was comparatively slow at the beginning, Rohit latched on to Santner in the 11th over that went for 16 and thereafter the two classy batsmen just took the game away from the Kiwis. Though three wickets fell, Rishabh Pant ended things nicely with two sixes with 16 balls left. The visitors were slightly inconsistent with their lengths and did not use their variations as cleverly as the home side with only captain Southee picking up great figures of 3/16. All in all, a deserved win for India.
Rohit won the toss and inserted the Kiwis to bat with dew again playing a role. The visitors, propelled by a blitz from Martin Guptill (31 off 15) and Daryll Mitchell (31 off 28) made a great start in the poweplay. The first wicket fell in the fifth over with the score at 48. The Kiwis seemed set for a huge 180+ score at that point with the soaking wet ball not turning and not doing much. But then as things slowed down the Indian bowlers pulled off a great defensive bowling spell using clever variations and changes in line and length. Harshal Patel (2/25), making his debut for India, was brilliant with his cutters and proved his IPL success was no flash in the plan. Ravi Ashwin was also excellent with jaw-dropping figures of 1/19. Axar Patel also played his part in keeping it tight The Blackcaps ended at a disappointing 153/6. Their plight was exemplified by James Neesham scoring 3 off 12.
The famed Indian opening pair of Rohit Sharma (55 off 36) and KL Rahul (65 off 49) were majestic in the response with Rahul being the aggressor in-chief at the beginning and Rohit catching up soon. Though the scoring rate was comparatively slow at the beginning, Rohit latched on to Santner in the 11th over that went for 16 and thereafter the two classy batsmen just took the game away from the Kiwis. Though three wickets fell, Rishabh Pant ended things nicely with two sixes with 16 balls left. The visitors were slightly inconsistent with their lengths and did not use their variations as cleverly as the home side with only captain Southee picking up great figures of 3/16. All in all, a deserved win for India.
KL Rahul: "It was important that we play around with the field. The bowlers did really well to restrict them to a decent total and made our job a lot easier. We always give ourselves a couple of overs to see what the pitch is doing and whom to target. We are trying to see what works best for us as a batting unit. We want to take more chances if we have wickets in hand.
There's a lot of talent and power in the team. We know what a Surya can do in the middle overs, or what a Rishabh Pant can do. We both enjoy batting with each other (On his partnership with Rohit). We try and take the pressure off each other. We have found a way to score runs for the team at the top of the order and the plan is to give a strong start to our team."
There's a lot of talent and power in the team. We know what a Surya can do in the middle overs, or what a Rishabh Pant can do. We both enjoy batting with each other (On his partnership with Rohit). We try and take the pressure off each other. We have found a way to score runs for the team at the top of the order and the plan is to give a strong start to our team."
Tim Southee | New Zealand Skipper: "Credit to India for the way they fought back into the game. After a solid start with the bat, they pulled things back. We knew it was going to be hard to bowl and it was wet. But India was too good tonight. We go to a different venue and it's a quick turnaround. So we will look to read and adapt to the conditions and look to be at our best."
Rohit Sharma | India captain: "Great effort from the unit. Everyone applied themselves well. They began really well but I kept telling the boys that it was about one wicket and I knew about the quality of our spin bowlers. They came back really well. The bench strength of this team is really good. My job as a captain is to give them the freedom. All of them will get the opportunity to prove themselves. Not yet thought about any changes for the next game, we need to take care of the guys playing first. Guys who haven't played will get their chances. Harshal is experienced in first class and he is very skillful and used his slowers really well."
Harshal Patel | Man of the Match- "I was so engrossed in the process that I forgot everything that was happening around me. But a great victory for our side. I feel that progress is gradual and slow. At times I did well in my career and it has taught me so many life lessons. I feel you don't need a lot of variations, you just have to package your deliveries really well. Yorker is a delivery that I would love to get better at. It is another platform for me to come and perform and show my skills."
Sourya: So a fine victory for India at Ranchi tonight. It is time for us to sign off. Wish you a very good night on behalf of me, Sourya Chowdhury, and my fellow commentators Akshay Bhide and Anurag Dasgupta. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. See you soon.