After performing exceptionally well against Australia at home and winning the ODI series by 2-1, the Indian team was all set to play against New Zealand in New Zealand. The last time when both teams played against each other was in World Cup 2019. The BCCI had announced the Indian team for T20 matches. Mohammed Shami and Sanju Samson have made their comeback in the squad, whereas as New Zealand team has included some of the new players like Blair Tickner, Hamish Bennett, etc. in the squad. Both teams got talented players that can change the match in a few minutes also.
The 1st T20 match had taken place on Friday (Jan 24) at Eden Park in Auckland. The Indian team had won the toss and elected to ball first. Shivam Dube was included in the Indian squad, whereas Hamish Bennett of New Zealand made his debut in T20 matches from this match only. The pitch was good to bat on, and the weather was between 19C to 24C. The humidity was on the higher side, and there was no chance of rain.
While batting first, the New Zealand team scored 203 runs with the loss of 5 wickets. Colin Munro was the highest scorer. He scored 59 runs in 42 balls. Jasprit Bumrah was one of the best bowlers from the Indian Side. He conceded only 31 runs in 4 overs and took 1 important wicket. The Indian team chased this total in 19 overs. From Indian Side, Shreyas Iyer was the highest run-scorer. He scored 58 runs in 29 balls. Ish Sodhi was an economical bowler from the New Zealand team. He conceded only 36 runs and took 2 wickets. Shreyas Iyer was named as the man of the match for his brilliant inning.