Ahmedabad, March 8 Setting a massive target of 256, New Zealand slipped to 88/5 after 10 overs in the T20 World Cup final against India here on Sunday.
Led by Sanju Samson's 46-ball 89 and equally destructive half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma (52 off 21 balls) and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25 balls), the defending champions, India, put on a powerful batting display to post a massive 255/5.
In reply, New Zealand lost all their top batters by the time the innings reached the halfway stage.
Opener Tim Seifert smashed 52 off 26 balls, but the rest of the top order failed to perform in the challenging chase.
Axar Patel dismissed the dangerous Finn Allen (9) and Glenn Phillips (5), while Jasprit Bumrah removed Rachin Ravindra (1) in the powerplay. Then, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy each took a wicket.
Earlier, New Zealand bowlers were all over the place after inviting India to bat in the winner-takes-all contest, with Samson and Abhishek going berserk from the start, smashing boundaries and sixes.
They raised a quick-fire 98-run stand in just 7.1 overs, providing a great platform, and Kishan continued the good work with his brisk knock.
Brief scores:
India: 255/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Ishan Kishan 54, Abhishek Sharma 52; James Neesham 3/46)
New Zealand: 88/5 in 10 overs (Tim Seifert 52; Axar Patel 2/18)
