T20 World Cup, IND vs NZ as it happened: New Zealand thrash India by 8 wickets

Jasprit Bumrah in the post-match press conference (not verbatim): “As a batting unit, we were trying to give ourselves a cushion because of the dew factor. That didn’t come off today. In the second innings, batting does get easier... In the second innings, the length balls were not holding. That was happening in the first innings... Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you want to be with the family. But when you are on the field, you don’t think about these things. BCCI has tried to make things comfortable.”

Kane Williamson (not verbatim): “It was a fantastic performance by us against a formidable Indian side. We were just trying to adapt to the situation, the spinners were outstanding. For us it’s about focusing on our game and committing to it wholeheartedly. Sodhi is an outstanding T20 bowler, he’s very experienced and a big part of our side.”

Virat Kohli (not verbatim): “It was quite bizarre. To be brutally honest, we weren’t brave enough with the bat or ball. When you play for the Indian cricket team there will always be a lot of expectations. We have embraced that but not been able to cope with it in the last two games. There’s only one way to play T20 cricket – you have to be optimistic and back yourself. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played and we all must look forward to it.”

Player of the match: Ish Sodhi for his 2/17. The leg-spinner got the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

10.26 pm: Williamson (33* off 31) clips Thakur through square leg for a single and that’s that. NZ win with 33 balls to spare. Another heavy defeat for Virat Kohli and Co. Their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals hang by a thread now.

New Zealand win by 8 wickets

NZ 108/1 after 14 overs (target 111): Williamson turns it on! Classy, classy shots from the right-hander. Hardik bangs it in and he plays a superb ramp short for four, before stepping out and driving a slow, full delivery for four. NZ need three runs to win.

NZ 96/1 after 13 overs (target 111): Bumrah finishes with fine figures of 2/19 from his four overs. He was accurate throughout and kept threatening the batters with his yorkers and variations. The new batter is Conway. NZ 15 need off 42. Hardik to continue from the other end.

NZ 96/2 after 12.4 overs (target 111): OUT! Daryl Mitchell is gone for 49! And it’s that man Bumrah again who gets India a breakthrough. The right-hander tried to hit the slower ball over the rope but got caught at long-on. That was a mighty impressive innings, though.

NZ 94/1 after 12 overs (target 111): Well, a decent first over from Hardik – five singles come from it. NZ are almost home, they need 17 off 48.

Hardik Pandya has come on to bowl. This, of course, was one of the biggest talking points heading into the game. Has little consequence now.

NZ 89/1 after 11 overs (target 111): Bumrah returns to the attack to bowls his third over and keeps things quiet. Mitchell moves on to 47 off 31. NZ need 22 off 54.

NZ 83/1 after 10 overs (target 111): Thakur bangs it in, Mitchell pulls it for six. Thakur bangs it in again, Mitchell pulls it for four. Thakur pitches it in the slot with mid-off in place, Mithcell thumps it straight over for four. NZ need 28 off 60.

NZ 69/1 after 9 overs (target 111): Varun returns to finish his spell and bowls a quiet over, he returns with figures of 0/23. NZ need 42 off 66.

NZ 64/1 after 8 overs (target 111): Shot! Jadeja bowls it flat and a little wide, Williamson stays low to dab it late past short-third for four. New Zealand are in cruise control.

NZ 55/1 after 7 overs (target 111): SIX! Shami bowls a slow, short ball ands Mitchell pulls it for a maximum. That was a 121 kmph delivery and the right-hander picked it early. NZ need 56 off 78.

NZ 44/1 after 6 overs (target 111): Huge over for NZ! Jadeja comes on to bowl and Mitchell hits him for a six and two fours. India’s shoulders have dropped, New Zealand are motoring along. They need 67 off 84.

NZ 30/1 after 5 overs (target 111): Kohli backs Varun to bowl another over in the powerplay and the spinner delivers with a tidy over, just two singles from it. Tough to say how much dew is present but the ball is still stopping a bit off the pitch. NZ need 81 off 90.

First things first... not a 10-wicket defeat for India, thanks to Bumrah. But on the flip side, Williamson has walked out for a chase that he is so well made for. NZ 28/1 after 4.

NZ 24/1 after 3.4 overs (target: 111) OUT! BUMRAH STRIKES! India finally have a wicket in this World Cup. One ball after just clearing mid off, Guptill mishits a slower ball and Thakur juggles but holds on.

NZ 18/0 after 3 overs (target: 111) Not much mystery there for Guptill. Short ball, cut away. Full ball, lofted down the ground. Expensive over from Varun.

NZ 6/0 after 2 overs (target: 111): Guptill has faced 8 balls so far. Outstanding over from Bumrh, going close with a couple of superb yorkers. But for NZ, another small win.

Bumrah time.

NZ 5/0 after 1 over (target: 111): A tentative first over from Guptill against Varun, but he plays it out. India will get no brownie points for tidy overs tonight though, every over without a wicket is a blow to their slim hopes.

And the NZ openers are walking out. NZ need 111 to win. Varun will start.

Agree with Vinayakk Mohanarangan?

Coping mechanisms aside, personally don’t think it was the wrong idea to have Ishan and Rahul to open. And to get to par if that didn’t work, Kohli and Rohit at 3 and 4 wasn’t bad either. Doesn’t help one bit that they picked out fielders with such precision today, but that is more about execution or lack thereof. Such an extraordinary batting performance due to shot selection / placement more than tactics per se. 

9.08 pm: Jadeja whacks one for six in the final over bowled by Southee before Sodhi drops a sitter at fine-leg off the last ball. Jadeja remains unbeaten on 26 off 19. Southee finishes with 1/26, India finish with a well below-par total.

India finish with 110/7

IND 99/7 after 19 overs: Four! Boult bowls a full toss on the pads and Jadeja sweeps it to the fence. Boult finishes with wonderful figures of 3/20 from his four overs. Hr got the wickets of Kishan, Pandya and Thakur. The highest partnership for India tonight has been 24 runs – Rahul and Rohit for the second wicket.

IND 94/7 after 18.4 overs: OUT! Another slower ball from Boult and another catch at long-off for Guptill. That’s the 50th T20I wicket for the left-arm pacer. Thakur walks back for a three-ball duck. The new batter is Shami.

IND 94/6 after 18.1 overs: OUT! Boult rolls his fingers over the ball and Pandya hits it straight to long-off. He departs for 23 off 24, having hit one boundary. Thakur is the new batter.

IND 94/5 after 18 overs: Four! Jadeja goes for a scoop and just about beats the keeper. Milne finishes with 1/30 from his four overs. India have to try and get to 120 at least.

IND 86/5 after 17 overs: Stop the press – India have hit a boundary! After 70 balls, India hit a boundary. Boult bowls the last ball of his third over short and wide, Hardik cuts it over point for four.

IND 78/5 after 16 overs: Sodhi returns with sine figures of 2/17 on his birthday. The leg-spinner for the wickets of Rohit and Kohli. Still no real sign of aggression from Pandya, he moves on to 15 off 17.

IND 73/5 after 15 overs: Milne wraps Jadeja on the pad first up and Williamson goes for the review, but DRS shows the ball going over. Pandya is batting on 13 off 15. He’s had time to get his eye in, needs to cut loose now. India need a lot more than a six or two.

IND 70/5 after 14.3 overs: OUT! Well, it just keeps getting worse for India. This time Pant (12 off 19) attempts a slog and is clean bowled. Milne came from round the wicket and hit bullseye. India have lost half their side, wouldn’t be a shock is they’ve lost all of their spirit. Jadeja is the new batter.

IND 67/4 after 14 overs: A breathtaking stop from Neesham at the deep backward square-leg fence. Sodhi bowled a half-tracker, Pandya failed to connect properly, it seemed the ball would still sail over for six, but Neesham put his hand out at full stretch, while being airborne, to keep the ball in. Wow!

IND 62/4 after 13 overs: Now Southee returns for his third over and concedes just four singles. Pant and Hardik are taking no risks at the moment. They’ll need to soon. India have Jadeja and Thakur to follow.

IND 58/4 after 12 overs: The end of a fantastic spell by Mitch Santner – 0/15 from his four overs. The left-arm spinner maintained a tight line throughout, didn’t concede a single boundary and didn’t bowl a wide or no ball. As far as total number of boundaries are concerned, India have hit five fours and a six so far in their innings.

IND 52/4 after 11 overs: The end of another successful over for New Zealand. Pant, meanwhile, is looking just as tentative as Kohli was. The left-hander has been in decent form and could turn things around with a hit or two to the fence. As far as Hardik is concerned, this is a good platform for him to show his potential. He has the luxury to take a bit of time to get his eye in.

IND 48/4 after 10.1 overs: OUT! Kohli is gone! He tries to slog sweep Sodhi but edges it to Boult at long-on. He never looked settled today and struggled to find the middle of his bat. The skipper walks back for 9 off 17 as Hardik comes to the crease. India are in all sorts of trouble, and more.

IND 48/3 after 10 overs: Santner concedes five runs in his third over, the left-arm spinner has superb figures of 0/9. Kohli and Co need to do something special in the second half of their innings to post a competitive total.

IND 43/3 after 9 overs: Milne returns to the attack, after bowling the only expensive over of the innings so far, and bowls a tidy over this time – just two runs come from it. Kohli moves on to 5 of 11. Seems India are looking to gather themselves/not take risks and accelerate later with wickets in hand.

IND 40/3 after 7.4 overs: OUT! Rohit is gone! Sodhi strikes as the right-hander pulls it to long-on. Good catch from Guptill. This is turning into another disaster for India. Rohit walks back for 14 off 14 as Pant comes to the crease.

IND 37/2 after 7 overs: Santner concedes just two singles in his second over too. Kohli gets off the mark with a single after playing five dot balls. He could’ve been run-out as he scampered back into the crease after tapping the ball towards extra cover, but Rohit made a good call early.

IND 35/2 after 5.5 overs: OUT! Southee strikes! This time Rahul (18 off 16) pulls it straight to deep backward square-leg. Just as India were starting to build momentum, New Zealand peg them back again, Virat Kohli is the new batter. This is a mighty important partnership for India.

IND 29/1 after 5 overs: Huge over for India! Milne, after dropping the catch, with an expensive over. Rahul cuts one along the ground for four, Rohit then cuts one over point for four before ending the over with a stunning flick-pickup shot for six. That was Rohit at his absolute best. The Indian fans are roaring in the stadium!

IND 14/1 after 4 overs: Solid start from Santner, the left-arm spinner concedes just two singles in his first over. India have their backs to the wall again, like they did against Pakistan. Their run-rate is low and their opposition can sense the kill.

IND 12/1 after 3 overs: DROPPED! Rohit survives first ball! Boult banged it in and Rohit, as he almost always does, went for an instinctive hook, but Milne dropped a sitter at fine-leg. It was the perfect trap by NZ but Rohit got lucky.

Well, well... it is Rohit Sharma, not Virat Kohli, batting at No 3.

IND 11/1 after 2.5 overs: OUT! Boult strikes! Kishan (4 off 8) hit one for four over mid-wicket earlier in the over but this time he hits it straight to deep backward square-leg. Big blow for India, Kishan could have given them the fiery start they were looking for.

IND 6/0 after 2 overs: Four! Southee pitches it a little too full and straight and Rahul goes after it. He plays an on-the-rise drive which just about clears mid-on. This is a good start for NZ, though. Nervous times for India.

IND 1/0 after 1 over: Top start from Boult, the left-arm pacer hits his mark straightway and shapes the ball in to Rahul/away from Kishan nicely. There was an LBW shout against Kishan as Boult got one to go straight but Williamson didn’t go for the review.

7.30 pm: Right, we’re ready for play! And India have a new opening pair, Rohit Sharma has been demoted with Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul opening. Here we go!

Playing XIs:

India: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), James Neesham, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips (w), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.

7.02 pm: Two changes for India – Suryakumar Yadav (back spasm) replaced by Ishan Kishan (who will open) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaced by Shardul Thakur.

7.00 pm: One change for New Zealand – Adam Milne comes in for Tim Seifert.

Toss:

Kane Williamson has won the toss and New Zealand will bowl first!

6.58 pm: We’re minutes away from the toss in Dubai! Going by the results in the tournament so far, it’s going to be a crucial, crucial toss.

Full text and video: Kohli on abuse faced by Shami, the Boult challenge, bowling unit and more

Muttiah Muralidaran column: India too reliant on Jasprit Bumrah, need a more balanced bowling attack

6.42 pm: Reports from the ground suggest Shardul and Hardik are marking their run-ups. Will Bhuvneshwar be the one making way? We shall find out soon!

6.30 pm: Hello and welcome to our coverage of the Super 12 match between India and New Zealand at Dubai.

India lost their first match of the tournament against Pakistan on October 24 but they haven’t played a match since then and they might go into the must-win match feeling a little rusty. But the break might have also helped them get back in the right mental shape after the defeat.

“It’s been a long break for us. It’s been a lot of time waiting and just doing nothing, really, for us as a team,” admitted Kohli of the lopsided schedule.

Kohli added: “Now we’re just itching to go back on the park and be competing again and look to correct the things that didn’t happen well in the first game.”

New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult said he had watched how fellow left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi had ripped out India openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul last weekend.

Boult said he intended to “mirror” Shaheen’s heroics.

“If Trent says he wants to replicate what Shaheen did against us, obviously he’s motivated to do so and we have to be motivated to counter that and try to put pressure on him and the other bowlers as well,” said Kohli.

“That’s how basically the game goes anyway. We played against all these bowlers for a long period of time. And we understand exactly what we need to do.”

Kohli will step down as captain of the T20 team at the end of the tournament as India look to add the 2021 title to their victory at the inaugural event in 2007.