Christchurch T20: After struggling initially India scores 162/8

Hosts New Zealand clawed their way back into the game after India opener Virender Sehwag annihilated their new ball bowlers, smashing four sixes in his 10-ball blitzkrieg of 26 runs. Suresh Raina was joined by Yusuf Pathan as India lost their fifth wicket.

Gambhir, who looked scratchy and didn’t time the ball too well, lost his middle stump when he tried to clobber Ian O’Brien over midwicket but the lack of bounce meant that he mistimed the slog and was beaten all ends up. This dismissal however did not perturb Sehwag, who continued to flay the Kiwi attack to all corners of the short ground.

Soon after O’Brien struck again when Sehwag eyed a short square boundary but misjudged the length of the ball and lost his legstump. O’Brien was ecstatic with this dismissal and the New Zealand fans were relieved to see the back of the dangerman.

Rohit Sharma’s poor run in international cricket continued as he tried to slog a Ian Butler delivery but managed only a leading edge with wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum claiming the skier with precision and leaving India in a spot of bother.

Suresh Raina’s breezy knock continued but India continued to lose wickets. The next to go was flamboyant southpaw Yuvraj Singh who misread a Daniel Vettori arm ball and was trapped leg before wicket – plumb in front. India captain MS Dhoni, who has developed a reputation of saving India in such, precarious positions, didn’t do that reputation any justice in his first outing in New Zealand as he was clean bowled by Butler in the last delivery of the eighth over. The ball kept relatively low and the offstump rocked back. The fans were thrilled a blitz as hard-hitting all-rounder Yusuf Pathan joined Raina.