Twitter Reactions: India thump New Zealand by 73 runs to complete series whitewash

In response to India's 184/7, New Zealand were skittled for just 111.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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4 Min Read

Indian cricket team
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Indian cricket team. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

India have whitewashed New Zealand in the three-match T20I series with a comfortable win in the final game at the Eden Gardens. The performance only improved for the Rohit Sharma-led side with every game and the Kolkata T20I was the best for the group despite two of their top players, KL Rahul and Ravi Ashwin, being rested.

India opted to bat first after winning the toss deciding to do the tough job with the series already in the bag. The pitch at the Eden is always a good one to bat and Rohit Sharma led the way for the side. Ishan Kishan opened the innings with him and the duo took full toll of the field restrictions. The hosts managed to score 69 runs in the first six overs and once again, India’s nemesis Mitchell Santner helped New Zealand make a comeback.

India slipped from 69/0 to 83/3 in a matter of couple of overs from the left-arm spinner. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant were back in the hut and there was a need for partnership from here on. Rohit Sharma by then had left the crowd in awe with his trademark pull shots and a few free-flowing strokes to get to his 30th half-century in T20Is.

The man looked good to go big on the day only for Ish Sodhi’s freak return catch to cut short his stint in the 12th over. This gave two Iyers, Venkatesh and Shreyas, a real shot in the middle for the first time the series. The duo didn’t disappoint and added 36 runs for the fifth wicket. Most importantly, they kept the runs coming in at the same rate before both the batters were dismissed in a space of three deliveries.

At 140/6 in the 17th over, the Kiwis would’ve hoped to restrict India to a below-par total. But Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel had other ideas. Both of them scored 18 and 21* respectively to propel the team to 184/7 after 20 overs.

New Zealand succumb in the chase

New Zealand are known to be fight till the end in every game. They showed it in the opening T20I taking the game to the final over but the fighting spirit kind of fizzled out as the series progressed. Martin Guptill got the team off to a scintillating start taking on Deepak Chahar in his first over. But Rohit Sharma smartly brought on the spinners into the attack for the next three overs to control the game.

The result was three wickets for Axar Patel with two of Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips bagging ducks. It was only a Guptill show for New Zealand in their innings with the veteran batter smashing a fifty in just 33 balls. However, once Yuzvendra Chahal got him out in the 11th over, it was all one-way traffic with India picking wickets at regular intervals.

New Zealand were eventually bundled out for 111 runs in the 18th over losing the game by a massive margin of 73 runs. Axar returned with 3/9 for India in his three overs while Venkatesh Iyer also picked up his maiden international wicket while the rest of the bowlers chipped in as well.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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