Indian batting couldn't match the rising run rate as the top four didn't do much.
Tim Seifert and Colin Munro, who was playing his 50th T20I, put on 86 runs in 8 odd overs to give Indian bowlers nightmares with 66 runs in powerplay overs. Munro departed for 34, but Seifert continued to make his career-best 84 runs with 6 sixes and 7 fours. Kane Williamson (34), Ross Taylor (23) and Scoot Kuggeleijn (20*) took New Zealand to 214/6 in 20 overs.
The Indian bowlers had no answer to the aggressive approach taken by the Kiwi batsmen as only Chahal and Krunal Pandya gave runs less than 10 runs per over. Hardik Pandya gave away 51 runs for his two wickets, while all others picked a wicket each.
The Kiwi spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner then went on to stifle the Indian chase with regular wickets as Pant (4), Karthik (5) and Hardik (4) perished under pressure of the rising run-rate. By the time MS Dhoni (39) and Krunal Pandya (20) tried their hands at giving a fight to the chase, the asking rate was well beyond 21 runs-per-over.
Tim Southee picked 3/17, while Santner (2/24) and Sodhi (2/26) made sure New Zealand didn't let the pressure get lighter on the Indian batting. India was bundled out for 139 runs.
New Zealand handed India their worst-ever T20I defeat in terms of runs, winning by 80 runs and going 1-0 up in the series. They also kept their 100% win record in T20Is against India in New Zealand.
BRIEF SCORES:
NZ 219/6 (T SEIFERT 84; H PANDYA 2/51) defeated IND 139 (MS DHONI 39; T SOUTHEE 3/17) BY 80 runs