Axar Patel dismisses Finn Allen as India bowl first in Christchurch
Axar Patel removed Finn Allen for 45 as India struck twice in the powerplay during the first T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch.
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday. Axar Patel provided the breakthrough in the eighth over when he dismissed Finn Allen for 45 off 24 balls with a back-of-a-length delivery that the opener miscued to long-off.
Mayank Yadav had earlier removed Tim Seifert for 24 off 17 balls in the fifth over, leaving New Zealand at 80 for two at that stage. Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell steadied the innings before the hosts reached 98 for two at the halfway mark.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to the T20I side after a 1,425-day absence while Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy made their debuts in New Zealand conditions. India made two changes from their previous XI, with Prince Yadav and Shivam Dube omitted.