India all-rounder Hardik Pandya celebrated with his signature “goodbye” gesture after claiming a wicket in his first over of the first T20I against New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Association, Jamtha in Nagpur. The seam-bowling all-rounder dismissed Rachin Ravindra, who managed only a single before falling cheaply.
The wicket came in the second over of the innings after India captain Suryakumar Yadav handed Pandya the new ball. Ravindra had scored a single off the opening over bowled by Arshdeep Singh but misjudged his shot against Pandya as the required run rate kept climbing. Under pressure, the left-hander edged the ball to slip, where Abhishek Sharma held on to a sharp catch.
You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/video/5568656/ind-vs-nz-2026-1st-t20i-rachin-ravindra-wicket
At the time of reporting, New Zealand were 91/3 in the 11th over, with leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy making an early impact by dismissing Tim Robinson in his first over. However, chasing a daunting target of 239, a win for the tourists appears highly unlikely.
Hardik Pandya Scores 25 As India Bat First Against New Zealand In Nagpur
Coming in to bat in the 11th over, Hardik Pandya got off the mark with a powerful boundary straight down the ground off Mitchell Santner. However, his innings was curtailed by Jacob Duffy, who dismissed the Baroda all-rounder in the 16th over for 25 from 16 balls.
India’s innings was anchored by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed a blistering 84 off just 34 deliveries and shared a 99-run partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav. In the closing stages, Rinku Singh played a quickfire unbeaten 44, including 21 runs off the final over from Daryl Mitchell, helping India post a commanding total of 238/7 in their 20 overs.
With this strong performance, the home side is well placed to take a 1-0 lead ahead of the second T20I.
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