India beat New Zealand by four wickets in first T20I despite all five bowlers conceding 40-plus

A three-match T20 series between New Zealand and India began today. India won the first match, played in Christchurch, by four wickets. New Zealand had set a target of 226, which India chased down comfortably.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first. It was expected that Indian bowlers would make use of conditions in New Zealand that help bowlers and would perform well. That did not happen at all.

New Zealand's batters thrashed the Indian bowlers, piling up 225 for four in 20 overs. India used five bowlers in the innings, and all five conceded 40 or more runs. This dubious record has now been registered against Indian bowlers in the history of T20 international cricket. The team lacked accuracy in bowling.

The figures of the five bowlers were as follows:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 49 runs in 4 overs
Arshdeep Singh: 45 runs in 4 overs
Mayank Yadav: 40 runs in 4 overs
Axar Patel: 51 runs in 4 overs
Nitish Kumar Reddy: 40 runs in 4 overs

The comeback was deeply disappointing for India's experienced fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Returning to the Indian side after a long time, he was expected to bowl strongly in this match. But he fell well short of his reputation, and the team paid for his poor bowling.

Bhuvneshwar conceded 49 runs in his four overs and did not take a wicket, which has added to India's worries. It was the second-worst bowling spell of his international T20 career. He also bowled a no-ball for the first time in his entire T20 international career.

The match also saw aggressive innings from Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir.