Hardik-led India (Ki)win, level series

India made one change to their playing eleven – Umran Malik made way for Yuzvendra Chahal.

New Zealand made no changes to the eleven that last played the Indians.

On winning the toss, Mitchell Santner, New Zealand’s skipper, chose to bat.

The first Powerplay of New Zealand’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 33, and lost a couple of wickets.

Allen, whose 10-ball (F)innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 11. Twenty-one balls into the match, Chahal broke the run-a-ball stand.

Twenty-eight balls (4.4 overs) into the match, New Zealand sought a batting review. Devon Conway, the batsman, scored 11 off 14 balls, which included a boundary. It was struck down by umpire Nitin Menon. He was caught by Ishan Kishan. Needless to say, Washington Sundar was in seventh heaven.

Glenn Phillips, who faced 10 balls, scored five. Thirteen balls later, Deepak Hooda was in seventh heaven.

Daryl Mitchell, whose 13-ball innings included a boundary. Nineteen balls later, Kuldeep Yadav broke the 13-run stand.

It was at that point that the drinks break was taken. Mark Chapman was in seventh heaven.

New Zealand scored 50 off 10.2 overs (62 balls). India had conceded half-a-dozen extras at that point.

The fifth-wicket pair put on a dozen. Chapman, who faced 21 balls, scored 14. Sixteen balls after Mitchell’s dismissal, Kuldeep and Kishan ran him out.

Michael Bracewell, who faced 22 balls, scored 14. Twenty-six balls later, he was caught by Arshdeep Singh. Hardik Pandya, India’s skipper, broke the 20-run stand.

Santner, whose 23-ball innings included a boundary, scored 19. He was unbeaten.

Ish Sodhi, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. Four balls after Bracewell’s dismissal, he was caught by Hardik. Arshdeep broke the three-run stand.

The eighth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. He was caught by Sundar off the bowling of Arshdeep.

Jacob Duffy, whose three-ball innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. He was unbeaten.

India eventually conceded 10 extras. New Zealand scored 99 for the loss of eight wickets at that point.

Shivam Mavi, who bowled a wicketless over, conceded 11.

Chahal bowled a couple of overs, including a maiden. He conceded four, picking up a wicket.

Sundar, who bowled three overs, conceded 17. He picked up a wicket.

Hardik, Hooda, and Kuldeep bowled four overs each, picking up a scalp apiece. While Hardik conceded 25, the spinners conceded 17 apiece.

Arshdeep, who bowled a couple of overs, had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he picked up a couple of scalps.

The first Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 29, and lost a wicket.

Shubman Gill, whose nine-ball innings included a couple of balls, scored 11. Twenty-three balls into the chase, he was caught by Allen. Bracewell broke the 17-run stand.

The second-wicket pair put on 29. Kishan, whose 32-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 19. Thirty balls later, Phillips and Santner ran him out.

Ten overs into the chase, the drinks break was taken. India had scored 49 for the loss of a couple of wickets at that point. While Rahul had scored (Tripa)thirteen, Suryakumar Yadav, the player of the match, had scored a couple.

India scored 50 off 10.1 overs (61 balls). New Zealand had conceded four extras at that point.

Tripathi, whose 18-ball innings included a boundary, did not add to the aforementioned score. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Phillips. Sodhi broke the four-run stand.

Eighty-seven balls (14.3 overs) into the chase, New Zealand sought a bowling review. Suryakumar was the batsman. It was struck down by Menon.

It was, in fact, at that point that the fourth-wicket pair had put on 20. Sundar, whose nine-ball innings included a boundary, scored 10.Tickner ran him out.

Suryakumar, whose 31-ball innings included a boundary, eventually scored 31. He was unbeaten, as was Hardik, who scored 15 off 20 balls, which included a boundary.

India scored 100 off 19.5 overs (119 balls). In fact, they scored 101 for the loss of four wickets, winning by half-a-dozen wickets with a ball to spare. The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave New Zealand no reason to be in seventh heaven. But that was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

Tickner, who bowled five balls, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he was wicketless.

Duffy, Ferguson, and Chapman bowled a wicketless over apiece. They conceded eight, seven, and four, respectively.

Santner and Phillips bowled four wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 20, the latter conceded 17.

Sodhi and Bracewell bowled four overs each, picking up a scalp apiece. While the former conceded 24, the latter conceded 13.

The three-match series was levelled 1-1.