India vs New Zealand New Zealand in India, 3 T20I Series, 2021

SIX! There comes Rishabh Pant's one-handed biggie and he seals the game as well as the series for India in his trademark style! A slower ball, on a length, around off. Pant skips down and lofts it back over the bowler's head for a maximum! INDIA WIN THE MATCH BY 7 WICKETS and they take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in this three-match T20I series.

SIX! CRUNCHED! Full ball, outside off. Rishabh Pant reaches out and smacks it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum! He clears the ropes by a very small margin! India are only a hit away from victory now!

FOUR! Shortish outside off, Venkatesh Iyer looks to push it off the back foot towards covers but he gets a thick outside edge and the ball races away to the fence at third man. 11 runs needed off 18 balls.

Leg bye! Good-length ball, down the leg side. Rishabh Pant misses his flick and the ball clips his thigh pad. The ball rolls away to the leg side for a leg bye.

Back of a length, around middle. Rishabh Pant looks to tuck it to the leg side but he misses and gets hit on the body. Pant is clearly struggling to find his timing.

Good-length ball, around off. Rishabh Pant skips down a bit and looks to defend but gets hit high on his thumb as the ball shoots off from the deck. That would have hurt but he is not showing much pain.

Review time! New Zealand have reviewed this for caught behind. No bat on that. They now check for LBW. But the impact is outside off.

NOT OUT! Fractionally short and around off, Rishabh Pant looks to heave it across the line but he fails to middle his shot properly. There is some sound as it goes to the keeper. The Kiwis appeal for caught behind but the umpire says no. Tim Southee opts for a review but the UltraEdge clearly shows that the ball had brushed the thigh pad and not the bat. The third umpire quickly checks for the lbw as well but the impact is well outside off.

Length ball, around middle. Venkatesh Iyer eases it to long on for a run.

Rishabh Pant walks out to bat.

OUT! Chopped on! Back of a length, outside off. Suryakumar Yadav looks to cut it away from his body but gets a thick inside edge which rattles the off stump. A top outing for Southee, 4-0-16-3.

Full ball, outside off. Venkatesh Iyer works it towards long off for a single.

Length ball, around leg. Suryakumar Yadav clips it to fine leg and gets off the mark with a run.

Suryakumar Yadav will bat now.

OUT! TAKEN! Soft dismissal and Rohit Sharma is absolutely distraught with himself! A touch short in length around off, sticking into the surface and Sharma gets deceived by it. He pushes it uppishly towards Martin Guptill at extra cover who takes a dolly there. End of a fine knock by the Indian skipper but he would have loved to finish the chase. 19 needed more off 27 balls.

Short of a length, outside off. Venkatesh Iyer stays back and punches it towards deep cover for a single.

Length ball, around off. Venkatesh Iyer pushes it to mid off.

SIX! WOW! What a way to bring up your fifty! Milne bangs it into the deck, around leg. Rohit Sharma stays back and plays his trademark hook shot over fine leg to collect a maximum. His 25th T20I fifty.

Length ball, angling in from middle. Venkatesh Iyer turns it to wide mid on for a hesitant run.

Back of a length, around off. Venkatesh Iyer looks to tuck it on the leg side but he misses and gets hit high on his body. The ball rolls away to the off side.

FOUR! Streaky, but Venkatesh Iyer won't mind that! He finally gets off the mark! Good-length ball, just outside off. Iyer looks to punch it through covers but he gets a thick inside edge and the ball goes past the keeper and races away to the fence at fine leg.

Good-length ball, around middle. Venkatesh Iyer hangs back and pushes it back to the bowler.

Back of a length, jagging back in from outside off. Rohit Sharma is cramped for room as he tries to cut it. The ball goes towards point and the batters take one.

Swing and a miss! Back of a length, jagging back in from outside off. Venkatesh Iyer stands tall and looks to punch it through covers but he misses. 32 runs needed off 36 balls.

Good-length delivery, angling in from off. Venkatesh Iyer stays back and pushes it to cover.

Back of a length, around leg. Rohit Sharma tucks it behind square on the leg side for a run.

FOUR LEG BYES! Short ball, around middle. Rohit Sharma looks to pull but he misses and gets hit on his right shoulder. The ball races away past the keeper and goes into the fence.

Venkatesh Iyer walks out to bat now.

OUT! TAKEN! Tim Southee strikes and the Kiwis finally get the breakthrough! A slower ball, banged into the pitch, around off. KL Rahul sits back and looks to heave it over deep mid-wicket but he does not middle it. The ball takes the splice of the bat and lobs up in the air. Glenn Phillips at deep square leg settles under it and takes a good catch.

Good-length ball, on the pads. Rohit Sharma tickles it uppishly towards fine leg for a single.

Tim Southee (2-0-11-0) is back on.

A low full toss, outside off. Rohit Sharma strokes it towards sweeper cover and keeps the strike for the next over. 38 runs needed off 42 balls.

Flatter ball, around middle and leg. KL Rahul backs away and works it towards long on for a single.

Tossed up, outside off. Rohit Sharma gets down on his knees, reaches out and paddles it behind square on the leg side for a run.

SIX! High and handsome! Sharma backs away to the leg side so Santner follows him with a flatter ball. Sharma rocks back and pulls it over the square leg fence.

Tossed up, on the pads. Rahul works it to long on for one.

Full ball, on the pads. Worked past short fine leg for one.

FOUR! Wonderfully played! Slower ball, on a length, down the leg side. Rahul clips it past short fine leg and the ball runs to the fence. India's game to lose now. They need 49 in 8 overs.

Length ball, on the pads. Worked past square leg for a single.

FOUR! Brilliantly played! Yorker, on off. Sharma carves it towards point. The man in the deep runs to his left and dives but cannot stop it. Boundary and that brings up the 100-run stand between these two!

Short ball, down the leg side. Sharma goes for the pull but the ball zips over his head. Tim Seifert does well to gather it. Wide called.

A very full ball, outside off. Rahul drills it to long off for one.

Short of a length, on leg. Sharma slaps it to long on for one.

Full ball, on the pads. Flicked to fine leg for one.

Change. Trent Boult (2-0-18-0) is back on.

Back of a length around leg, KL lifts his front leg and glances it down to long leg for one. 29 runs in the last two overs and India have brought the required rate under 7.

Short in length and outside off, lack of bounce, Rohit adjusts well and pulls it all along the ground to deep square leg for a run.

A yorker around middle, it's squeezed down through mid on for a single.

FOUR! Pace on the ball and punished. Short and around middle, angling down, KL Rahul swivels on the back foot and hammer-pulls it behind square leg for a boundary. Lovely placement, bisecting the two fielders in the deep.

SIX! KL Rahul has smashed a flat maximum. Reached his fifty off 40 balls. Fuller in length and outside off, Rahul attacks it well and smacks it over extra cover for a biggie.

Lands it on a length and close to off, Rahul defends it back from the inside portion of his bat.

Drinks! A solid start by the Indian openers and they are well on track to chase down the target. The momentum was slipping away a bit but the last over has turned the tide a bit in India's favour. A couple of big overs will probably seal the deal for the hosts here. New Zealand, on the other hand, need quick wickets and they need wickets in bulk.

Shortish and around off, punched from the crease to deep cover for a single. 16 from the over, a much-needed one for India. At the halfway mark, this match is interestingly poised. 75 needed off 60 balls but on this pitch, it's a matter of one wicket. Not easy to play shots here.

PUT DOWN! Rohit Sharma survives - life is granted to him by his Mumbai teammate, Trent Boult. Santner delivers it full and around off, Rohit Sharma tries to slog across the line but it takes the top edge and flies behind the bowler. Boult comes running in from long on but fails to catch the ball with a slide. Usually, Trent Boult is known to take fantastic catches and he will be disappointed with this effort. A run is taken.

SIX! The Hitman is flexing his muscles! Arm ball from Santner, around off and skidding in, Rohit Sharma clears his front leg and smokes it over mid-wicket for a handsome biggie. The crowd is enjoying it. This is brilliant batting.

Short and around off, it's fired in by Santner, Rahul cuts it through point for one.

Flatter and around off, Sharma again steps back to create room and then slaps it to sweeper cover for a single. The intentions are clear now from India, they need to up the scoring ante.

SIX! The pressure was building and India needed this biggie. Short and around middle, skidding on with the arm of the bowler, Rohit Sharma steps back to make room and rockets it over mid-wicket for a maximum.

A long hop from Sodhi, around middle, Rahul pulls it towards wide long on and collects a couple of runs.

Not easy to middle the shots. Full and flighted around middle, Rohit dances down the track for a big heave-ho but gets too close to the pitch of the ball. He ends up dragging it off the inner edge to mid-wicket. They cross.

The umpires are having a good look at the ball as the seam of the ball seems to have swollen up. Out comes the fourth umpire with a set of new balls.

Loopy and on middle, fuller in length, Rahul wrists it in front of square leg for a single.

Another full toss that has not been put away, this time by Rohit. He heaves it over mid-wicket and it's stopped on one bounce by the fielder in the deep. A single.

Full and around leg, knocked down to long on for a run.

Terrific delivery. Nicely tossed up and it lands very full, almost a yorker around off, KL digs it out back towards the bowler.

Arm ball, around off and skidding in, Rohit stands back and pushes it towards the bowler. Santner collects the ball and that's the end of a tidy over from him.

Darts it in, short and around off, Rahul goes deep inside the crease and forces it to sweeper cover for a single.

Floated one, full and sliding down the leg side, Sharma attempts to play the paddle sweep but misses. It brushes his pads and rolls behind square leg. They cross for a leg bye as Mitchell Santner puts in a muted appeal.

Quicker through the air, short and flat on middle, Sharma goes on the back foot and plays it down to mid-wicket.

Santner delivers it full and around middle, Rohit makes room and strokes it through extra cover for a couple of runs.

Fuller and around off, Rahul presses forward and drives it square of the wicket on the off side for a single.

Mitchell Santner comes back to bowl. 2 runs came off his first over.

A full toss and KL has failed to put it away. He only manages to drag it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Tossed up around off, fuller in length, Sharma drives it with the spin to sweeper cover for one.

A touch flat and full, around leg, it's eased down through mid on for a run. 50 up for India! Another solid alliance between Rohit and Rahul, their 5th 50-run stand in a row, informs Murali Kartik on air.

Floated and full around off, Sharma leans and knocks it down to long on for one.

Flat and short again, on middle, Rahul goes on the back foot again and punches it to long on for a single.

Aerial but past the bowler in a flash! Short and around off, KL Rahul rocks back and blazes it back past the bowler, near taking Sodhi's head. The ball scurries to long off and they take two. The replays showed that the ball swerved a bit in the air and hence went away from Sodhi. Lucky escape for Ish. Southee sees the funny side of that incident.

Ish Sodhi comes to bowl now.

Short of a length, on the pads. Rahul pulls it away. Daryl Mitchell runs to his right from deep square leg, he slides and keeps it to one. That ends the Powerplay and India are 45 without loss. Good start for them.

Full ball, outside off. Rahul carves it to covers. There is a fumble but no run is taken.

Short ball, down the leg side. The ball goes way over Rahul and it is called a wide.

Length ball, on the pads. Sharma works it to deep mid-wicket for one.

Yorker, just outside off. Sharma blocks it with ease.

Fuller ball, on off. KL Rahul drives it down the ground. The man at mid off dives to his right and gets his hand to it. The ball ricochets towards mid on and they get one.

SIX! Slapped! Rahul is looking in great touch out there! Short of a length, angling across off. Rahul backs away to the leg side and creates room. He then slaps it over the cover fence and the ball flies all the way.

Trent Boult (1-0-8-0) is back on.

Length ball, around off. Pushed past mid on for one.

Another appeal by Southee! Length ball, wide outside off. Rahul goes hard at it with his hands but misses. The keeper gathers it and they appeal. But the umpire is unmoved.

Short ball, outside off. Sharma pulls it to the right of deep mid-wicket. The fielder runs across and keeps it to one.

Length ball, on off. Pushed to covers.

Full ball, on the pads. Worked past mid-wicket for one.

Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Rahul punches it away. The man at point dives but does not stop it. There is protection in the deep so just a single.

Tim Southee returns. 8 runs came off his first over!

Back of a length, around off. Rahul stands tall and taps it towards backward point for one.

Short of a length, outside off. Cut away to deep point for one.

SIX! There she goes! The Rohit Sharma pull shot! Short of a length, wide outside off. He pulls it across the line, keeps it aerially and the ball goes over the square leg fence.

Length ball, on the pads. Rahul works it past square leg for one.

FOUR! Pumped! Full ball, on the pads. Bread and butter for Rahul as he flicks it aerially to the mid-wicket fence.

An attempted slower one, but this goes way outside off. Left alone and called a wide.

Fuller ball, on off. Rahul pushes it to mid on.

Adam Milne is into the attack.

Mitchell Santner finishes well! Tossed up, on leg. There is some extra bounce as Sharma looks to block. It hits the shoulder of the bat and drops dead on the pitch.

Darted on the pads. Sharma looks to whip it away but gets hit on the pads. A good over by Santner so far.

Pushed quicker through the air, around off. Pushed to the left of the long off fielder for one.

Loopy ball, around off. Tapped to covers by Rahul.

Rahul backs away to the leg side so Santner follows him. It's pushed to covers by Rahul.

Loopy ball, on off. Sharma looks to work it away but gets it off the inner half of the bat to short fine leg for one.

Mitchell Santner comes to bowl now.

FOUR! KL Rahul started the over with a majestic drive and he ends it in the same fashion! Length ball, just outside off. He leans into it, offers the full face of the bat and drives it past mid off for a boundary. That shot was a treat to the eyes.

On a length, angling across the right-hander. Rahul stands tall and pushes it towards point.

Rahul chops this length ball to the right of the keeper. He looks for one but is sent back.

Fuller ball, on off. Rahul pushes it to cover. The fielder dives and stops the ball.

Short of a length, around off. Rahul blocks it out with ease.

FOUR! Glorious stroke! Length ball, outside off. Rahul leans into it and drives it perfectly through covers for a boundary.

Who will bowl from the other end? Trent Boult it is.

Full ball, on off. Rahul punches it straight down the ground. Southee gets his right hand down and gets something on it. The ball goes past him and they get one.

Shorter ball, outside off. Rahul rises with the bounce and cuts it to point.

On a length, just outside off. Rahul punches it to covers.

Length ball, on off. Blocked out.

Big appeal by Tim Southee! Full ball, down the leg side. KL Rahul misses the flick. Southee puts in a big appeal for caught behind but the umpire is unmoved. Wide called. UltraEdge shows that it clipped the pads.

There seems to be some problem at the keeper's end! There is a dent behind the stumps near the stump mic area. It looks like things are sorted out and we are good to resume.

Short of a length, outside off. Rahul chops it past point. He gets a couple of runs.

FOUR! Edged and a boundary! Full ball, lands outside off and swings away. Rahul goes for the drive but gets the outside edge. The ball goes past the two slips and runs to the fence.

SAFE! Length ball, around off. Mitchell Santner heaves it towards deep mid-wicket and comes back for the second run. Shreyas Iyer runs in from the deep and throws it to the keeper's end. The throw is a bit wayward so Rishabh Pant runs forward to collect the ball and he hits the stumps at his end. The square leg umpire sends the decision upstairs but the replays suggest that Santner is well inside the crease. New Zealand finish on 153/6.

Is that a run out? Nope, Mitchell Santner is inside the crease.

Two dots in a row! Another play and a miss! Good-length ball, outside off. Mitchell Santner sits back and looks to power it on the leg side but he misses.

Play and a miss! A slower ball, on a length, outside off. Mitchell Santner looks to slog it to the deep mid-wicket region but he fails to get any bat on it.

Leg bye! Full ball, just outside off. Adam Milne shuffles across and looks to scoop it over short fine leg but he misses and gets hit on his pad. The ball rolls away to the off side for a leg bye.

Back of a length, outside off. Adam Milne looks to pull yet again but gets hit high on his bat and the ball falls short of the deep square leg fielder. The fielder collects the ball and throws it to the keeper's end who whips the bails off. Adam Milne is well inside his crease and so the leg umpire does not go upstairs.

Aerial, but the ball falls in no man's land yet again! Slower ball, into the pitch, outside off. Adam Milne looks to pull but gets it away from the splice of the bat and the ball goes to the vacant mid on region. Two runs.

A dot to end the over! Fuller in length, just outside off. Mitchell Santner looks to heave it away but he only manages a thick inside edge and the ball rolls to the keeper.

Patel bangs it into the deck, outside off. Mitchell Santner flat-bats it over the bowler's head and collects a couple of runs.

Length ball, outside off. Adam Milne drags it towards deep mid-wicket and takes a run.

In the air...safe! Another ball, slower and shorter in length, around off. Mitchell Santner looks to tuck it on the leg side but gets a leading edge and the ball falls just wide of Rohit Sharma at extra cover. A single taken!

A slower ball, into the pitch, around off. Mitchell Santner gets deceived by the change of pace and gets hit high on his bat. The ball falls just short of Harshal Patel.

Back of a length, around leg. Mitchell Santner tucks it to the leg side for a couple of runs.

Adam Milne is the new batter.

OUT! CAUGHT! Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets his man and his plan of bowling wide to Neesham has worked for him! A length ball, angling away from outside off. Neesham looks to go over extra cover but he only manages a thick outside edge. The ball goes to Rishabh Pant behind the sticks who takes an easy catch. Bhuvneshwar Kumar appeals but Neesham walks even before the umpire raises his finger.

Change of bats, please! James Neesham needs a new bat as the bottom part of his bat has come off.

Oh, dear! What was that? James Neesham has broken the bottom of his bat and the broken part of the bat loops up in the air. For a moment it seemed that it was the ball which went up int the air. The ball hits the bottom and dabs onto the deck.

Slower ball, on a length, outside off. James Neesham looks to go downtown but he misses yet again!

Good-length ball, around leg. Mitchell Santner gets an inside edge onto his pad as he tries to block it and takes off for a quick run.

A slower ball, angling away from outside off. James Neesham looks to heave it across the line but it goes off the inner half behind square on the leg side for a single.

Play and a miss! Full ball, outside off. James Neesham looks to heave it on the leg side but he does not get any blade on it.

Change in bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-0-37-0) is back on.

Slower ball, into the pitch, outside off. James Neesham stays back, swivels and pulls it along the ground towards deep square leg. The batters take a run.

Length ball, on leg. James Neesham misses his nudge and the ball just clips his pads before rolling to the keeper.

Another slower ball, on a length, outside off. James Neesham gets deceived by the change of pace and fails to get any bat on it.

Mitchell Santner is the new batter.

OUT! TAKEN! The debutant gets his second wicket and New Zealand slip further! A slower ball, into the deck, around off. Glenn Phillips looks to clear deep mid-wicket by playing the pull shot but he miscues it and the ball goes straight to Ruturaj Gaikwad (sub) there who gulps it down with ease.  A big wicket for India at this stage of the innings.

Length ball, outside off. Glenn Phillips reaches out and tries to slog it on the leg side but he fails to get any bat on it.

NO BALL! A beamer, around off! Glenn Phillips looks to pull as he is taken by surprise. The ball goes towards long on and the batters take a couple. Free Hit to follow. Slippery conditions and it's tough to grip the ball. Another beamer and Patel won't be allowed to complete his spell.

SIX! BOOM! A low full toss, around off. Glenn Phillips sits back and tonks it over long on for a biggie!

Change. Harshal Patel (2-0-9-1) is back on.

Floated, around middle and leg. James Neesham prods and eases it down to long on for a single. That ends Ravichandran Ashwin's spell! He finishes with figures of 4-0-19-1.

Wide! Ashwin errs in line and spills this one down leg. James Neesham misses his flick and the umpire calls it a wide.

A carrom ball, on a length, outside off. Glenn Phillips rocks back and cuts it to sweeper cover for a run.

Fuller in length, around middle and leg. James Neesham tucks it to the leg side and gets off the mark with a single.

Flighted delivery, around off, turning away a bit. James Neesham blocks it off the front foot.

Flatter ball, around off. James Neesham stays back and punches it to the left of Rohit Sharma at extra cover. He dives there and saves a run.

James Neesham walks out to bat.

OUT! CAUGHT! Ravichandran Ashwin strikes and Tim Seifert departs! Flatter ball, on a length, around off and it's bowled quicker through the air, nearly 100 kph. Seifert tries to get cheeky, gets down on his knee and looks to play the reverse-batted shot. He though fails to middle his shot and it goes off the splice of the bat. The ball travels straight to Bhuvneshwar Kumar at short third man who takes a simple catch without moving an inch.

Change. Ravichandran Ashwin (3-0-16-0) to bowl out.

Length ball, outside off. Tim Seifert slashes it hard to deep point for a single. 11 from the over, the expensive evening for Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues.

Good yorker! Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivers a perfect yorker outside the off stump. Tim Seifert looks to dig it out but misses. A dot ball.

Shorter length, outside off. Glenn Phillips cuts it hard to sweeper cover for a single.

SIX! WOW! Just pure power from Glenn Phillips. Slower, length ball around off. Glenn Phillips stays back deep in his crease and spanks it towards long on for a maximum.

WIDE! Slower length ball but it's too wide outside the off stump. Glenn Phillips throws his bat at that one but misses. Wide called.

Shorter length and Tim Seifert dances down the track. He flat-bats it to long off for a single.

Length ball, slower. Glenn Phillips slashes it to sweeper cover for a single.

Change. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-0-26-0) is back on.

Well bowled! Slower ball, on a length, outside off. Tim Seifert looks to hoick it across the line but misses.

Good running! Fuller ball, on the pads. Tim Seifert taps it with soft hands to long on. They run hard and get the second with ease.

Slower ball, on a length and on the pads. Seifert works it to the right of fine leg for a couple of runs.

Fuller ball, on the pads. Glenn Phillips works it to long on for a single.

SIX! BOOM! Length ball, on the pads. Glenn Phillips whips it way over the deep square leg fence. Top shot.

Length ball, around off. Seifert punches it towards point. The fielder dives and keeps it to one.

FOUR! Boundary to end the over and a good spell from Axar! Shorter and quicker, on off. Glenn Phillips cuts it between point and short third man for a boundary.

Slightly short of the fuller length and Seifert gets back and eases it to sweeper cover for a single.

Slightly shorter in length, on middle and leg. Glenn pushes it to long on for another single.

Shorter length, this time, Seifert cuts it to sweeper cover for a single this time.

Flatter and quicker, on off. Tim Seifert cuts it to the point fielder.

Fuller and slower, on middle. Glenn pushes it to long off for a single.

Fullish and outside off, stroked off the front foot to covers. Dot ball to end a good over from Harshal.

Gets that one right in the blockhole! Delivers a yorker on middle. Seifert flicks towards that short mid-wicket. Dot ball.

FOUR! Well played. Short and around off, Tim jumps and guides it over the keeper for a boundary. Superb from the new batsman.

Taken the pace off again. Harshal serves this on a back of a length, outside off. The batter just chips this towards the cover region. The man at covers dives forward, but that just falls short of him.

OUT! TAKEN! Change of pace works for Harshal Patel and he grabs his first international wicket! Length ball, slower in pace and on off. Mitchell looks to go down the ground but he has to manufacture all the power. He hits it straight to the man at long on and Suryakumar Yadav takes it with ease. New Zealand are in some trouble now. Tim Siefert walks out to bat.

Beaten! A bit short and outside off, Daryl Mitchell flashes his bat at it but fails to connect.

Change. Harshal Patel is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.

Flatter and quicker, on off. DM pushes it to long off for another single.

Shorter length, on middle and leg. Glenn Phillips pushes it to wide of long on for a single.

Fuller, around off. GP looks to sweep it but misses. Luckily for him, the ball misses the stumps.

Darted on the pads. Glenn taps it to the on side.

DROPPED! Venkatesh Iyer has put down a straightforward catch in the deep. A low full toss around off, coming quickly to the batter, Glenn Phillips mistimes his aerial shot to long off. Iyer comes running in but fails to grab the catch. He tries to catch it on the rebound but misses the ball again. A few attempts by him but the ball eventually goes down. Two taken.

Shorter length, Daryl pushes it off the back foot to long on for a single.

WIDE! Axar delivers this way down the leg side. Daryl looks to clip it but misses. Wide called.

Drinks! A really good fightback by India after the Kiwis got off to a flier. There is plenty of dew on the surface and it will be interesting to see what kind of total New Zealand would feel comfortable with. A lot depends on Daryl Mitchell now as he is well set and could be the one to step on the gas.

Quick again, around off, Glenn Phillips stays back and keeps it out to short mid-wicket. Top over from Ashwin. At the halfway mark, New Zealand are 84/2.

Quicker and flatter, a bit short and following the batsman, Glenn Phillips ends up getting no room and defends it back to the bowler.

Wide! Skidding down the leg side, Glenn tries to flick but misses.

A bit faster by Ashwin, pulled his length back, on off. Daryl Mitchell forces that to long on. Single taken.

On a good length, on middle and leg. Glenn Phillips gets off the mark with a single on the leg side.

Ashwin gives a slight flight to that one, down the leg side. Glenn Phillips looking to glance that off his pads but gets beaten.

Flatter delivery, on middle and leg. Daryl Mitchell taps that to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Axar Patel darts this on the pads, Mitchell works it to deep mid-wicket for a single. Retains the strike.

Glenn Phillips walks out to bat.

OUT! CAUGHT! Axar Patel strikes! Axar Patel bowls this slower in the air and fuller on off. Mark Chapman looks to go big downtown but fails to clear the man at long off. KL Rahul in the deep there runs across and  takes a fine catch to send Chapman back in the hut.

FOUR! This time he gets it away for a boundary! Fuller, on middle and off. Mark Chapman reverse-sweeps and gets it past the diving fielder at short third man for a boundary.

Some issue with the ball, maybe some part of the seam has come out. The umpire brings out the scissors and does the needful.

Fuller, on middle, Chapman looks to reverse sweep but gets it away from the toe end of the bat. It goes towards the mid off region.

Flatter, around off. Daryl Mitchell reverse-sweeps this to backward point. Goes for a quick single and the fielder there fires in a direct hit at the striker's end. But Chapman is safe. Single taken.

Shorter length, outside off. Mark Chapman looks to push it away but gets no timing and just manages to take a single as the ball rolls in the gap on the off side.

Change. Axar Patel is back on. He went for 5 in his first over.

Fires in a flat and short ball on middle, Mark punches it back and Ashwin moves to his left to stop the ball. But Mitchell in his way and the ball sneaks past to go to long on. They cross.

Ashwin bowls it with a round-arm action and fires it flat outside off, Chapman tries to cut but misses.

Skidding off the surface, Daryl Mitchell gets back and chips it over mid on for one.

Chapman sweeps the fuller ball to deep square leg for a run. Harshal Patel fumbles a bit but it is still only a single.

Darted into the pads. Mark Chapman looks to tuck that away towards the leg side but gets hit on the pads. No run there.

Flatter delivery, on middle. Daryl Mitchell pushes that towards long on for a single.

On a length, on the pads. Chapman clips it behind square on the on side and gets a couple. A good start in international cricket for Harshal Patel. Just 5 runs from the over.

Fantastic effort by Shreyas. Back of a length, on off, Chapman slaps it to covers. Shreyas Iyer there in the ring stops it with a dive and fires in a throw at the bowler's end. He misses. Nevertheless, a great effort by the Mumbai lad.

Back of a length, on off, Daryl Mitchell flat-bats it down towards long on for a single.

Length delivery, outside the off stump. Daryl Mitchell pushes it off the back foot towards the cover fielder in the ring.

On a length, around off. Chapman taps it behind square on the off side for a single.

Fuller, slower delivery outside off by Harshal Patel. Daryl Mitchell works it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Harshal Patel, the debutant, comes into the attack now. He was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Indian T20 League and would love to replicate that form.

FOUR! Boundary spoils the over somewhat! Quicker ball, down the leg side. Chapman finds the gap between square leg and short fine leg. The ball runs away to the fence. That ends the Powerplay and New Zealand are at 64 for 1. A good start for them.

Fuller ball, on the pads. Daryl Mitchell flicks it to deep mid-wicket for one. Good over from Ashwin so far.

Shorter ball, on leg, Chapman works it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Flatter ball, on off. Punched through mid off for one.

Darted on the pads. Chapman works it to deep square leg for one.

Quicker ball, on off. Blocked out.

Ravichandran Ashwin comes to bowl now.

Full ball, on off. Chapman pushes it to covers. The fielder gets across to his left and slides to stop it. Just a single then. 14 runs and a wicket from the over!

FOUR! Chapman is off the mark in style! Short ball, outside off. Chapman pulls it to the right of mid on. Shreyas Iyer chases it but the ball wins the race.

Slower ball, short of a length, on off. Daryl Mitchell awkwardly pulls it to deep square leg for one.

A full toss, on the pads. Daryl Mitchell works it to the right of long on for a couple. 50 up for New Zealand.

Mark Chapman walks out to bat. He is fresh from a fine knock in Jaipur and would like to make another contribution in this match.

OUT! TAKEN! Chahar got Guptill in the previous game and he gets him again! Effort ball from him, he digs it in short around middle and gets it to bounce a bit extra. Guptill goes for the pull but ends up getting the top edge. The ball travels high in the air towards short fine leg. Harshal Patel is circling around but Pant calls for it. The keeper gets under it and takes it safely. Chahar is pumped, change in length has done the trick for him!

SIX! Another maximum! Chahar serves a length ball, on middle. Guptill backs away to the leg side, says thank you very much and deposits it over long on for a maximum. This is some brilliant hitting by New Zealand.

Deepak Chahar (1-0-10-0) is back on.

Length ball, on the pads. Daryl Mitchell works it to the right of deep square leg. Two taken and 13 from Kumar's second.

Slower ball, on a length, just outside off. Blocked out by Mitchell to covers.

FOUR! Nailed it! Short of a length, on off. Daryl Mitchell rocks back and pulls it towards deep mid-wicket. The ball takes one bounce before going on to hit the advertising board.

Back of a length, around off. Daryl Mitchell blocks it out.

Ouch! Martin Guptill has been struck on his helmet. Out comes the Kiwi physio to follow the concussion protocol.

That's nasty! Short ball, well-directed at the batsman. Guptill goes for the pull but gets hit on the helmet. The ball rolls to third man and they take a leg bye. Bhuvneshwar Kumar enquires with Martin Guptill and the Kiwi batter gestures that he is fine.

SIX! BOOM! First maximum of the game! Length ball, on middle. Guptill backs away to the leg side and hammers it straight down the ground for a biggie. Martin Guptill has become the leading run-getter in this format!

Change of ends for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He went for 14 in his first over.

Dot to finish. Flatter ball, on off. Blocked out. Just 5 from Patel's first.

Flatter ball, on off. Guptill heaves it from the inner half of the bat to deep mid-wicket for one.

Shorter ball, on off. Guptill makes room and punches it wide of long off. Rahul runs across but there is a fumble and the batters take two. Dew has already set in and fielding is going to be challenging under these wet conditions.

Fired in on off. Guptill just blocked it out.

Darted on the pads once more. Daryl Mitchell clips it past square leg for a single.

Darted on the pads. Guptill flicks it past mid on. Shreyas Iyer gets across and slides to stop it. Just a single then.

Axar Patel comes into the attack.

Short of a length, outside off. Punched to covers. 10 from the second over. New Zealand are attacking the Powerplay overs.

Chahar drags his length back a bit. Outside off. Mitchell pushes it to covers.

FOUR! Brilliant stroke! Fuller ball, on off. Daryl Mitchell extends his elbows and hits it straight down the ground. The umpire sits down and the ball speeds away to the boundary line.

FOUR! Hammered! Swinging ball, right in the line of the stumps and on a good length. Daryl Mitchell hits it down the ground. It goes past mid on and runs to the fence.

Chahar lets it go on full length, on off. Guptill pushes it to mid off for one.

Fuller ball, around off. Daryl Mitchell taps it towards mid-wicket for one.

Who will bowl from the other end? Deepak Chahar it is.

FOUR! Clean strike! First clean strike of the game! Length ball, around off. Guptill hits it over covers. The ball bounces just inside the rope and goes into the fence. 14 from the first over.

Another inswinger, around leg, Guptill misses the flick.

Dropped! Plenty of action in the first over of the game! A tough chance goes down. A slower ball, on a length, on off. Guptill looks to go downtown but does not middle it. The ball goes over and behind mid off. KL Rahul runs back and takes a very good catch but, as he tries to balance himself, it pops out. The man from mid on, Ravichandran Ashwin, has also reached there and he stops it from going to the fence. Two taken. A terrific attempt but KL would be disappointed to drop it after doing all the hard work.

This lands on off and on a length and comes back in. Guptill looks to flick it away but gets hit on the pads.

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Martin Guptill! Overpitched ball, on off. Guptill goes hard at it. The ball takes the outer half of the bat and goes over point for a boundary. Two boundaries but none convincing.

FOUR! Swing straightaway! Kumar bowls a pearler, on off. Guptill is very tentative in his defence. The ball swings away and takes the outside edge. Suryakumar Yadav is at first slip and he dives to his right but the ball goes past him and runs away to the third man fence.

We are set for the game to begin! The Indian team is in a huddle before spreading out on the field. Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell walk out to bat for New Zealand. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to start with the ball. Here we go...

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is down for a chat. He says that it felt good taking wickets in the last game and winning the game was even better. Adds that he has been bowling a lot lately and that has helped his rhythm too. Mentions that when he went back home for a few days, he bowled quite a bit as he did not want to be undercooked for the series.

Tim Southee, the skipper of New Zealand, says that they would have bowled first as well as there is a lot of dew already on the ground. Adds that they wanted to keep fighting and take it deep in the last game. Tells that they were certainly not at their best in the previous game but they are looking forward to this one. Informs that they have made three changes to their XI - Ish Sodhi, James Neesham and Adam Milne replace Todd Astle, Rachin Ravindra and Lockie Ferguson.

Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, says that chasing is a good option here due to the dew factor. Adds that the previous game was a good effort as the guys who finished the innings hadn't batted a lot in such situations. Admits that it got a bit too close towards the end but it is good to get a win. Says that they have a nice balance between youth and experience in the side and it is a good setup. Informs that Mohammed Siraj misses out due to his injury which he sustained in the last game and Harshal Patel comes in the side.

New Zealand (Playing XI) - Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (WK), James Neesham (In for Rachin Ravindra), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Ish Sodhi (In for Todd Astle), Adam Milne (In for Lockie Ferguson), Trent Boult.

India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel (On debut) (In for Mohammed Siraj).

Toss - Rohit Sharma and Tim Southee are in the middle. Up goes the coin, Tim calls Heads but it has come down Tails. INDIA ELECT TO FIELD FIRST!

Pitch report - Deep Dasgupta is down for the pitch report. He says that the last time a T20 match was played here was the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2020 and the average score was 155. He talks about the dimensions of the ground and informs us that there are long boundaries. Ajit Agarkar also joins him and says that the surface looks abrasive and there is no grass here. He adds that the bowlers will use their cutters to trouble the batters. About the dew, Agarkar says that the team bowling first could get more from the surface and defending will be tough here. Also, they inform that the dew has already started to set in.

Breaking News - We have visuals from the Indian team huddle. Harshal Patel is getting his cap and the pacer is set to make his debut in T20Is! It will be interesting to see who he replaces in the side.

Earlier in the day, one of the greatest modern-day cricketers, AB de Villiers, announced his retirement from all forms of the game. There were plenty of heartwarming messages pouring in, but one which stood up the most was by his former South African teammate, Dale Steyn. 'And just like that, every bowler breathes a sigh of relief', is what the fiery pacer said and it sums up the career of ABD perfectly. From hitting the ball to all parts of the ground to enduring a blockathon while trying to save a Test, de Villiers could do it all. We thank him for all the countless memories that he gave us and wish him all the best for his off-field life. Farewell, ABD!

It’s a chance to seal the series and India will be looking to iron out their flaws and deliver a more clinical performance today. But can they do it against this motivated Kiwi side? It remains to be seen. Either way, the game promises to be an exciting one given the talent on show today. Stay tuned for the toss.

The new era for the Indian team began with a victory but not before some anxious moments in the death overs of the chase. The experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin was brilliant for the Men in Blue and they would want their younger counterparts to contribute as well. But the perennial issue for India remains of a 6th bowling option and Venkatesh Iyer at this time remains favourite to fill that gap. The batting in the first game faltered away at the backend but the runs at the top of the order by Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were just about enough to get them over the line. Rishabh Pant came in at number 4 ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the last game and it remains to be seen if that is the right order for Pant or India are trying to use him as a floater.

New Zealand lost a close game in the first match of the series. But there were plenty of positives from the game for the Black Caps. They were without their charismatic skipper, Kane Williamson, but Mark Chapman played a fine knock in his absence at number 3. The only matter of concern for the Kiwis will be the form of the lower order but they have enough quality in their ranks to sort that out. Their bowling group, on the other hand, after starting on an expensive note, came back strongly despite the dew factor. Will they stick to the same set of bowlers or are we going to see Ish Sodhi in this match? New Zealand are a very disciplined outfit and have played well in crunch games recently. Can they get over the line tonight and level the series?

India and New Zealand are set to lock horns in a T20I again as this bilateral series now moves on to Ranchi. In the first game of the series, India managed to get over the line after some late hiccups. This game is another opportunity to fine-tune their performance and seal the series with a match to go. New Zealand, on the other hand, despite resting some of their key players fought till the end in the previous encounter and will be eyeing a series-leveling win tonight. With plenty of exciting action ahead, welcome to our coverage.

... MATCH DAY ...