Ahmedabad, March 8 Setting a formidable target of 256, New Zealand found themselves in deep trouble at 47 for three after five 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 spectacular display to post a massive 255 for five.
In reply, Tim Seifert and Mark Chapman were batting on 31 and 0 respectively, after Axar Patel dismissed the dangerous Finn Allen (9) and Glenn Phillips (5), while Jasprit Bumrah removed Rachin Ravindra (1) in the powerplay.
Earlier, New Zealand bowlers were struggling after inviting India to bat in the winner-takes-all contest, with Samson and Abhishek going berserk from the word go, smashing boundaries and sixes all over the ground.
They raised a quick-fire 98-run stand in just 7.1 overs to provide a strong platform, and Kishan continued the good work with his brisk innings.
Brief scores:
India: 255/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Ishan Kishan 54, Abhishek Sharma 52; James Neesham 3/46).
New Zealand: 47/3 in 5 overs.
