Twitter reactions: Spinners choke India as New Zealand wins the opening T20I by 21 runs

New Zealand produced a dominant show in Ranchi to register an emphatic win in the first T20I of the three-match series against India. After losing the ODI series (0-3), the tourists bounced back in style to outclass India at JSCA International Stadium on Friday.

The Men in Blue failed to live up to the expectations as they failed to score against the spinners and lost wickets at regular intervals in the 177-run chase. Mitchell Santner led the Blackcaps from the front by picking up two crucial wickets of Shubman Gill and Deepak Hooda for just 11 runs in his full quota of four overs. He also bowled a maiden against the No. 1 T20I batter Suyakumar Yadav in the powerplay over.

Washington Sundar was the lone fighter for India but he too got out in the final over and the hosts lost the contest by 21 runs. Sundar smashed a quick-fire 50 off just 28 balls with the help of five fours and three sixes.

In the first innings, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh leaked 27 runs in the last over, giving the visitors a much-needed momentum. New Zealand posted a challenging 176/6 on the board in their stipulated 20 overs.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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Really impressed with the way Santner led tonight. His use of bowlers was spot on. And also he did the impossible act of bowling a maiden over to SKY in T20 cricket 🙌🏽 Well played @BLACKCAPS 👏🏽 Expect India to bounce back! #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/d5nbI9uoFu

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 27, 2023

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Well done gents 🤸🏽👏 On the board 👌 https://t.co/JSrCNVhB5x

— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66) January 27, 2023

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Winning while batting first against India in India (men’s T20I):

New Zealand – 4 times in 6 matches
Other teams – 3 times in 25 matches#INDvNZ

— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) January 27, 2023

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India panicked the moment the first two went to spin. They panicked to (spin-friendly) conditions rather than match situation. Disappointing #IndvsNZ

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) January 27, 2023

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Impressive win for Kiwis. Raised level of performance in tight situations: first in batting, finishing with a flourish to post competitive score, then dismissing dangerous SKY and Pandya in quick succession to short circuit India’s victory bid

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 27, 2023

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Superb all round performance @Sundarwashi5, well done. All it would require now is to have faith in his all round ability, give him extra responsibility and help him sustain his success..#indvnz#CricketTwitter

— W V Raman (@wvraman) January 27, 2023

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#TeamIndia fall short in the series opener despite a fighting maiden T20I 5️⃣0️⃣ by Sundar 🙁

We go again on Sunday 💙#OneFamily #INDvNZ @BCCI @Sundarwashi5 pic.twitter.com/qGowaQdIE4

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) January 27, 2023

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New Zealand beat India by 21 runs.#INDvNZ Scorecard: https://t.co/VZngpgRpBZ #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/Vz9oWpWx1Q

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 27, 2023

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What an incredible all-round performance by Sundar, 50(28) & 2 for 22 – the positive for India. pic.twitter.com/hTCGlAmJKg

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 27, 2023

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A setback in the 1st T20I, but some positive takeaways for 🇮🇳.

We will come back stronger. 💪#INDvNZ #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/iZm9FKULDu

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) January 27, 2023

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A match to learn from💪🏼

This weekend, we look to settle the scores 💙#INDvNZ | #TeamIndia | #AavaDe pic.twitter.com/etIBMASXPc

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) January 27, 2023