Ahmedabad, Mar 8 (PTI) India inched closer to winning a historic successive T20 World Cup title as they left New Zealand reeling at 139/6 in 15 overs after setting the visitors an imposing target of 256 in the final here on Sunday.
Led by Sanju Samson’s 46-ball 89 and equally destructive half-centuries from Abhishek Shamra (52 off 21 balls) and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25 balls), defending champions India put on a powerful batting show to post a massive 255 for five.
In reply, New Zealand lost all their top batters by the time the innings entered the halfway stage.
Opener Tim Seifert smashed 52 off 26 balls, but the rest of the top-order disappointed in the stiff chase.
Axar Patel dismissed the dangerous Finn Allen (9) and Glenn Phillips (5) while Jasprit Bumrah removed Rachin Ravindra (1) in the powerplay. Then, Hardik Pandya and Varun Varun Chakravarthy picked up a wicket each, while Axar returned to send back Daryl Mitchell (17).
Earlier, New Zealand bowlers were all at sea after inviting India to bat in the winners-take-all contest with Samson and Abhishek going berserk from the word go, lashing the ground with sixes and fours.
They raised a quick-fire 98-run stand in just 7.1 overs to provide a great platform, and Kishan carried forward the good work with his brisk knock.
Brief scores: India: 255 for 5 in 20 overs. (Sanju Samson 89, Ishan Kishan 54, Abhishek Sharma 52; James Neesham 3/46).
New Zealand: 139/6 in 15 overs (Tim Seifert 52; Axar Patel 3/27). PTI AH AH APS APS
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