A script was in the making when India restricted New Zealand to just 126 runs in the opening match of the ICC World T20 2016 at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium in Nagpur, Tuesday. The Indian fans were on the edge of their seats as they thought the star-studded batting lineup of India will get those 127 runs in no time and also with consummate ease.
Little did they know, Kiwis were secretly spinning a web, in which they were gearing up to trap the Indian batsmen.
Check out how India succumbed to spin against New Zealand.
Spin acted as the nemesis for India and they were bundled out for a meagre total of 79 runs against the Black Caps. Mitchell Santner, Nathan McCullum and Ish Sodhi shared nine Indian wickets between them.
Indian batsmen were absolutely clueless and the Kiwis took advantage of it. India captain MS Dhoni did not look gutted after the match, but was disappointed with India's batting efforts.
Watch the highlights of the match here.
The 34-year-old skipper admitted that 126 was a modest total and it could have been achieved if there were partnerships in the middle. But unfortunately, India were rattled by the Kiwi spinners.
Dhoni also said that there were a number of soft dismissals. Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli -- all got out softly. It was not like they were great deliveries but it was New Zealand's day.
"I think it was a low scoring wicket. I thought we restricted them to a good total, but the batting let us down. The shot selection kept putting pressure on the batsmen coming in," the Press Trust of India quoted Dhoni as saying.
"They (New Zealand) bowled well, exploited the conditions, but we lacked adaptability, we could have applied ourselves a little more. The batting let us down."
A defeat in the first game of the tournament is not a nice thing when you know that you have Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia waiting to take on you. India will have to bounce back strongly if they will want to qualify for the last four of the tournament, when they meet their arch rivals Pakistan at the iconic Eden Gardens, Saturday.
