IND VS NZ - 28th Match, Super 12 Group 2, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021

"The nice guys" who always "punch above their weight". "Nice guys don't finish first". New Zealand's cricket team are the flag-bearers of demolishing hoodoos, and the epitome of balance - between being goodnatured, and being fiercely competitive. They're 3-0 up against India in T20 World Cups, and this is the second time they've KO-punched above their weight to trounce India in an ICC event this year. As for India, they need a miracle and a half to recover from a trainwreck of a start to this World Cup. India need cricket to live upto its reputation of a great leveller, and provide them with adequate luck and merit to turn this around in the next three. For now, it's Rishi Roy signing off from the comm. box alongside Ramakrishnan MS, Abhinand and Siva. Here's a toast to a spicier twist for the remaining games of Group 2. Cheerio! *Curtains Down*

Kane Williamson | New Zealand captain: There's always planning going into game, but this was a great performance against a side that puts up a fight. The surface wasn't easy to find rhythm on, and the way the openers came out really set things up for the chase. It's just about adapting to the conditions as well as we could. The way the spinners kept applying pressure was commendable and it was a complete performance. We play against strong teams all the time, and there are match-winners in every side, and we commit to our brand of cricket and today was a good example of that. Ish is an outstanding white-ball bowler, and he's very experienced in playing T20 cricket, having played in different leagues all over the world, and we're looking forward to the rest of the games in the league stages.

Virat Kohli | India captain: To be brutal upfront, I don't think we were brave enough with bat/ball. We obviously didn't have much to play with the ball. We were just not brave enough in our body language when we entered the field and NZ had better intensity, body language. Every time we took a chance, we lost a wicket. It's most often a result of hesitation of whether you should go for a shot or not. When you play for India, there are loads of expectations. We are watched, people come to the stadium and everyone who plays for India needs to embrace that and cope with it. We haven't done that in these two games, and that's why we haven't won. We have to be optimistic and positive and take calculated risks. We have to disconnect from the pressure and continue with our process, and play a positive brand of cricket. There's a lot of cricket to play in the tournament.

Ish Sodhi | Player of the Match: I am usually big on pre-match prep, with this bubble life we haven't been able to see the ground until the day we come to the ground. The wicket here was one we had to adapt to pretty quickly. It was very different to what we played in Sharjah. The boundary sizes were very different. A big part of our game is using the spin bowlers in the middle. It was set up by the powerplay bowlers. Tim Southee getting that wicket late in the powerplay was massive for us and allowed us to do our job through the middle. We had a tough loss against Pakistan, it was hard not to think this is a really big game. Coming into the game we wanted to play as good a game we possibly could. To play the way we did tonight is one to definitely celebrate.

India, apart from Bumrah, looked hapless and clueless in their approach, and perhaps put in far too much effort in the wrong direction. The margins of these losses have severely dented their chances of qualifying for the semis, in a way that they now need to rely on factors out of their control for any chance of qualification. Presentations coming up in a moment...

20:58 Local Time | 22:28 IST: The updated record since 1990 in ICC events now reads NZ 8-1 IND. India simply didn't show up with the bat. They were fancied, in theory, with all their players gaining experience in the conditions during the IPL, but they never played as a unit in the lead-up and it shows. In the second half, perhaps a less abject surrender was expected, but New Zealand were simply too pragmatic to let the big names faze them, nurdling and nudging their way to a paltry target. Guptill started off aggressively before Mitchell took over, and fell just short of his maiden T20I fifty, and eventually the captain stayed unbeaten to guide them to a comfortable win.

Thakur to Williamson, 1 run, a comprehensive victory for New Zealand, and a shocking, abject loss for India, who were fancied to go all the way in the World Cup. Just works a half-volley down to deep mid-wicket for a single to hand India an absolute thrashing...

Thakur to Conway, 1 run, into the hip, and that's swat-pulled down to fine leg for a single. Scores level.

Thakur to Williamson, 1 run, good length ball outside off, Williamson opens the face and runs it down to third man for a single

Shardul Thakur [1.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, 1 run, fuller length ball on the stumps, Williamson whips it down to long-on for a single

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, FOUR, full and outside off, Williamson backs into the on-side, gets on his knee and flays it over the infield between extra cover and long-off for four...

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, wide, short ball, Williamson ducks under it, and that's over head-high...

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, FOUR, that's an outstanding shot! Short ball, nothing wrong with the direction, and he's ramped it over the hopping keeper to fine leg for four! That's KW's definition of outrageous. Outrageous touch...

Hardik Pandya to Conway, 1 run, short ball into the body, Conway pulls it down to backward square leg for one

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, 1 run, half-volley on middle, and that's whipped away towards wide long-on for a single

Hardik Pandya to Williamson, no run, back of a length ball on off-stump, tapped on the head towards point

Bumrah to Conway, no run, back of a length ball on off-stump, punched off the backfoot towards cover

Bumrah to Conway, no run, slower one on a good length, Conway is early into the attempted glance, and that's struck him high on the pads as he misses it

Devon Conway, left handed bat, comes to the crease