Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal hunt in pairs to shoot down Kiwis

Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel showed patience and displayed their skills to perfection as India thrashed New Zealand by 53 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here today. (IND v NZ highlights | Scorecard)

After Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan’s record stand powered India to 202/2, it was expected that the dew factor would hurt Chahal and Axar’s chances of stopping the run flow. But both turned out to be India’s standout performers and guided the hosts to their first ever win against the Kiwis in a T20 international.

Chahal, who started the proceedings with Ashish Nehra, handed India the early advantage by removing the danger-man Martin Guptill. The Kiwi opener lofted the ball straight only to find Hardik Pandya, who completed an excellent catch running from long-off.

The duo then kept things tight in the middle overs before Axar Patel joined the party by getting rid of Tom Bruce in the 13th over. Bruce wanted to go for the slog sweep but instead got a top edge and Rohit did the rest at deep mid-wicket boundary.

Soon, Axar got the wicket of the power-hitter Colin de Grandhomme to end the visitors’ hopes of sealing an unlikely win. The left-arm spinner finished with the figures of 2/20.

On the other hand, Chahal removed Tom Latham in his last over to end with 2/26.

In conditions, where India chose to play four seamers to counter the dew factor, it was their spinners who sealed an impressive win.