The Indian bowlers scripted an unwanted record on Thursday in the first of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Taking advantage of the struggling Indian bowling line-up, New Zealand posted 225/4, thanks to Finn Allen’s 45 and Glenn Phillips’ unbeaten 82 after being sent to bat first.
India came into this series with very little time to record after a 2-2 series draw against West Indies at home. The returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar did little trouble to New Zealand batters while the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav leaked runs too.
In the process, it was the first time all the Indian bowlers have conceded 40 runs or more each in the same match, and 13th overall in men’s T20Is. While Bhuvneshwar conceded 49 runs in his four overs, Mayank and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave away 40 runs each. Arshdeep Singh conceded 45.
Lone spinner Axar Patel was the most expensive with 51 runs for his one wicket. Mayank and Arshdeep also took one wicket each.