OPENER Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 balls as India registered a 48-run win over New Zealand in the first of five T20 internationals on Wednesday.
Abhishek hit eight sixes to give India a fast start before an unbeaten 44 from Rinku Singh late in the innings lifted the hosts to 238-7 after they were asked to bat first in Nagpur.
New Zealand replied with 190-7, as India took regular wickets to go 1-0 up in the warm-up series ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Glenn Phillips made 78 off 40 balls and added 79 runs with Mark Chapman, who scored 39, to keep New Zealand in the contest.
Phillips was dismissed in the 14th over by left-arm spinner Axar Patel, which ended New Zealand’s chase, despite errors in the field by India.
Varun Chakravarthy claimed two wickets, including Tim Robinson for 21 and Chapman.
Shivam Dube took two wickets in two balls with his medium pace in the final over.
Abhishek maintained his scoring rate even as India lost two early wickets, with Sanju Samson out for 10 and Ishan Kishan, playing his first match since 2023, dismissed for eight.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav added 99 runs for the third wicket with Abhishek and scored 32 off 22 balls.
Suryakumar, 35, accelerated after a slow start as he looks to regain form ahead of the World Cup.
The former top-ranked T20I batter has not scored a fifty in 23 innings in the format since October 2024.
He was dismissed by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.
Abhishek reached his seventh T20 fifty for India in 22 balls but was out to Ish Sodhi after miscuing a shot to long-on.
India then lost two quick wickets and the scoring slowed before Rinku hit three sixes and four fours in his 20-ball innings to close the innings.
The second match will be played on Friday in Raipur.
