Live Updates

  • 10:23 PM IST
    ASHISH NEHRA’S LAST OVER IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET

    DOT – Nehra smiles. Sodhi tries an ugly heave and fails to connect.

    DOT – Bouncer. Nehra smiles again. The ball went past Sodhi’s head before he could swing his bat.

    FOUR – In the slot. Sodhi hits straight over Nehra’s head.

    ONE – Short of length. Hits on Sodhi’s ribs.

    ONE – In the air… falls short of long-on.

    DOT – India win their first T20I against New Zealand in Ashish Nehra’s last match. He ends with figures of 4-0-29-0. Nehra smiles, again.

    India win the 1st T20I by 53 runs, taking 1-0 lead in three-match series.
  • 10:01 PM IST
    NEW ZEALAND IN SPOT OF BOTHER

    Kohli produces direct hit. The dangerous Nicholls walks back. Chahal then stumps Latham. Dhoni does what he does the best. NZ need 104 off 27, with 3 wickets in hand.
  • 9:46 PM IST
    AKSHAR PUTS NEW ZEALAND IN FURTHER TROUBLE

    Bruce slogs and finds Rohit at deep mid-wicket. In other news, Ashish Nehra is yet to get wicket. NZ need 120 off 44, with 6 wickets in hand.
  • 9:33 PM IST
    PANDYA REMOVES WILLIAMSON

    That should have been put away for boundary past point. Maybe extra bounce had him. New Zealand in trouble.

    NZ 54/3, 9.1 overs
  • 9:26 PM IST
    NEHRA’S THIRD OVER

    He is back. Nehra starts with an off-cutter. When will he take a wicket? When will that moment come?

    FOUR. Williamson pulls into the gap.

    ALMOST – Kohli gets his fingers on it. Nehra almost had the wiccket, almost for the second time. Come on, champ!
  • 9:16 PM IST
    WILLIAMSON PLAYS SCOOP

    Was that premeditated? Does not matter. Williamson makes strangest of shots look delightful. New Zealand need more of these.

    NZ 33/2, 6 overs

  • 9:06 PM IST
    OUT! IN THE BLOCK HOLE

    Bhuvi strikes, yorks Munro. The ball uprooted the leg-stump before Munro could bring his bat down. New Zealand lose both openers.

    NZ 18/2, 3. overs

  • 9:01 PM IST
    NEHRA’S SECOND OVER

    Nehra maintains line and length. On the off-stump, at length.

    No BALL – India keep an extra player outside the circle. Nehra looks at Kohli. Well, 2 runs off it. No major harm done.

    WIDE – Nehra now looks at the umpire.

    DROPPED – Pandya takes a stunner in the previous over, and drops one off Nehra. No, Hardik, no. What have you done?
  • 8:54 PM IST
    WHAT A CATCH!

    Full-length dive at the boundary line, to his right, in the air, and grabs it with both hands. Hardik Pandya, you beauty! Guptill departs.


    NZ 6/1, 1.3 overs

  • 8:49 PM IST
    NEHRA’S FIRST OVER

    Ashish Nehra starts from Ashish Nehra end. He starts with a dot ball. In the corridor of uncertainty. Guptill lets it go.

    FOUR. Slower ball on the shorter side. Guptill jabs it down the ground. Nehra smiles – that wide smile.

    5 off the over. Good start for Nehra-ji.
  • 8:45 PM IST

    **New Zealand innings**

  • 8:30 PM IST
    India 202/3, 20 overs

    SIX – Kohli shimmies and goes down town. Another massive six by Kohli.

    SIX – Dhoni joins the act. How big was that? The bat wobbles. How did he still manage to go that big?

    200 comes up. The balls fall between fielders. Another reprieve for Kohli.
  • 8:23 PM IST
    India 185/3, 19 overs

    Boult starts off with a dot ball.

    SIX – Stand and deliver. Kohli sends the short ball soaring into the stands. Captain Fantastic is in a different mood.

    FOUR – Rohit moves on to 80. Rohit tries to go inside out but edges over short third-man.

    OUT – This is funny. Umpire goes upstairs asking if the bat hit the ground. TV umpire says he did not. New Zealand review, asking to check if Rohit edged. Snickometer confirms. Rohit goes for 80.

    Boult 4-0-49-1
  • 8:17 PM IST
    India 174/2, 18 overs

    FOUR – Rohit sweeps and gets a top edge. No one at deep fine-leg. This is not the length you bowl to Rohit.

    SIX – Kohli goes big. He has a smile on his face. Rohit laughs. That came right out of the middle of the bat. Kohli cannot believe it.

    DROPPED – Third dropped catch of the evening. Kohli smiles.
  • 8:13 PM IST
    India 160/2, 17 overs

    OUT! Dhawan comes down the wicket. Sodhi shortens his lengths. Dhawan misses. Latham takes the bails off. Dhawan goes for 80.

    OUT! Pandya goes for zero. He gets an edge. That was sharp turn.

    2 runs and 2 wickets off it.
  • 8:07 PM IST
    India 158/0, 16 overs

    FOUR – Rohit plays a scoop. He is now showing off.

    FOUR – Dhawan shuffles and flicks past fine-leg. This is rampage.

    FOUR – Full toss and he goes straight. Dhawan is on 79.

    18 off the over.
  • 8:03 PM IST
    India 140/0, 15 overs

    It is Iyer’s debut. Let him bat, will you?

    SIX – Rohit makes room and reaches 50, his 12th in the format.

    FOUR – In the gap this time. No one at deep mid-wicket. Rohit pulls.

    FOUR – Rohit targets covers now. This is masterful batsmanship.

    This is the highest opening partnership for India in T20Is.
  • 8:03 PM IST

    This is the highest opening partnership for India in T20Is.

  • 7:57 PM IST
    India 125 /0, 14 overs

    Southee back into the attack. India look on course for a colossal score.

    SIX – Where did that come from? That was wild, wild heave from Dhawan. He is cruising to his maiden hundred.
  • 7:53 PM IST
    India 114/0, 13 overs

    SIX – That came right out of the screws. Dhawan uses depth of the crease and pulls it over deep mid-wicket.

    FOUR – Dhawan sweeps Sodhi’s wrong ‘un. This is Dhawan’s highest score in the format
  • 7:50 PM IST
    India 100/0, 12 overs

    50 for Dhawan, his third in the format. He takes only 37 deliveries to reach the mark.

    8 overs to go? How much can India manage from here? What do you think will be a safe target on this track?
  • 7:45 PM IST
    India 94/0, 11 overs

    Williamson introduces Munro.

    SIX – Did that even fall off the orbit? How high was that? Rohit finally gets one into the slot.

    FOUR – Do not bowl full to Rohit. That is crime. He goes over the bowler’s head. Rohit make amends.
  • 7:42 PM IST
    India 80/0, 10 overs:

    Sodhi continues to impress. 6 singles off it.

    Meanwhile, India register highest partnership for the 1st wicket against New Zealand.
  • 7:38 PM IST
    India 74/0, 9 overs:

    Colin de Grandhomme continues. Dhawan continues sweeping on his home ground.

    Rohit struggles. He is batting at a strike rate of 80.

    NO BALL + FREE HIT – Only 2 off it. No major damage done.

    Another NO BALL + FREE HIT – Dhawan on strike. FOUR. Dhawan is on a roll. Wohoo! He smacked that.
  • 7:34 PM IST
    India 56/0, 8 overs:

    Ish Sodhi’s time to make amends. He had once dismantled India with leg-breaks at Nagpur. NZ need an encore from him.

    MASSIVE TURN – Pitches outside leg and ends up way away from the off. Camera pans on Chahal. He smiles.

    Excellent over. Only 3 off it.
  • 7:28 PM IST
    India 53/0, 7 overs:

    Colin de Grandhomme into the attack, and he induces a leading edge right away. New Zealand should get a wicket now. India’s batting line-up is scary.

    DROPPED – New Zealand drop another catch. Ball jumps out of Southee’s hand at wide long-off. Rohit survives.

    FOUR – Dhawan sweeps another. That is cheeky. Dhawan goes full throttle.

    7 runs off the over.
  • 7:24 PM IST
    India 46/0, 6 overs:

    Santner is back, and he starts off with rank-turner. That ball zoomed past Rohit. He looks baffled. Good move by New Zealand.

    BOUNCER – Dhawan shimmies down, and Santner shortens his length. Dhawan pulls for a single. Well paid in the end.

    FOUR – Rohit executes a lofted drive. That had panache written all over it.
  • 7:21 PM IST
    India 38/0, 5 overs:

    Southee gets another over. New Zealand have to control the damage. But, no…

    FOUR – Sodhi misfields at third-man. When was the last time a New Zealander faltered in the field? Never. Come on, Sodhi.

    Southee uses off-cutter. He should needs to do that often. 8 runs off the over.
  • 7:16 PM IST
    India 30/0, 4 overs:

    Boult continues.

    FOUR – Boult does not get enough swing. He drifts down. Dhawan helps it fast fine-leg.

    FOUR more – Short and wide, again. Very few play the cut shot better than Dhawan does. New Zealand lose the plot.

    9 runs off the over.
India have never won a T20I against New Zealand © AFP
India have never won a T20I against New Zealand © AFP

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of the first T20I between India and New Zealand 2017-18, at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. In Ashish Nehra’s swan song, I, Kaustubh Mayekar, will provide interesting insights on his career as well as the match.

This may come as a shock that India have never won a T20I New Zealand thus far. The scoreline reads 0-5. But knowing the go-getter Virat Kohli is, he will leave no stone unturned to open India’s account and Nehra-ji’s last international assignment.

New Zealand are currently the top-ranked side in the format while India are at No. 5. Kohli has been in an ominous form, and will be eager to take India to the top position in this format as well. Not to forget that he is the only batters with an average of over 50 across formats.

India have to be wary of Trent Boult. He has a reputation of running through side. If that happens, the load with fall on India’s middle-order who has not face enough heat of late, given the top-order scores bulk of the runs.

India, however, will aim at bidding adieu to veteran Nehra on a high note, giving a victory as his parting gift.