New Zealand deals crushing blow to India with comfortable 8 wicket win

New Zealand revived their Twenty20 World Cup campaign with a comfortable eight-wicket win over India, who succumbed to their second successive defeat of the tournament on Sunday.

Daryl Mitchell made a fluent 49 and skipper Kane Williamson remained not out on 33 as New Zealand triumphed with 33 balls to spare to bounce back from the defeat by Pakistan in their tournament opener.

Earlier, pace bowler Trent Boult took three wickets in an inspired New Zealand attack as India limped to 110 for seven at the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.

Boult returned figures of 3-20 and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi took two wickets including Virat Kohli’s key scalp to deliver a huge blow to India’s hopes in the Super 12 clash in Dubai.

Ravindra Jadeja hit an unbeaten 26 and Hardik Pandya made 23 to take the score past 100 as both teams look for their first win.

Boult got Ishan Kishan out for four and nearly had Rohit Sharma on the next ball but Adam Milne dropped an easy catch at fine leg.

Milne, who replaced Tim Seifert as the only change in the New Zealand team from their opening loss to Pakistan, then gave away 15 runs from his first over with Sharma hitting the fast bowler for a four and a six.

But the New Zealand pace bowlers kept coming at the Indian batsmen as Tim Southee got KL Rahul walking back for 18 with another pull shot that found the fielder.

Sharma fell to Sodhi for 14, this time giving away a catch to long-on where Martin Guptill made no mistake.

Sodhi dismissed Kohli for nine after the captain mistimed a shot to be caught at long on and walked back to stunned silence at a stadium packed with Indian fans.

Pandya and Jadeja put up some resistance with a partnership of 24 that was broken by Boult who struck twice in his final over.

Mohammed Shami, the only Muslim player in the India team, walked in to loud cheers after being mercilessly trolled following the 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan.

Jadeja hit two fours and one six in his 19-ball stay.

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