INDIA VS NEWZELAND 1st T20:MCCULLUM PATIENT KNOCK LED NZ TO A WIN OVER INDIANS

Suresh Raina's fighting unbeaten 61 went in vain as world champions India began their New Zealand tour on a dismal note with the hosts thrashing them by seven wickets in the first Twenty20 match here on Wednesday.Put into bat, India recovered from a mid-innings slump to post a competitive 162 for eight but that proved insufficient as the Kiwis overhauled the target with seven balls to spare.Brendon McCullam (56 not out), Martin Guptill (41), Ross Taylor (31) and Jacob Oram (29 not out) were the notable performers for the hosts who have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match T20 series.India started off with a flourish but failed to sustain the tempo to find themseves in trouble at 61 for five by the eighth over. Some lusty hittings by Raina and Harbhajan Singh (21) at the end provided some respect to the total.Raina and Harbhajan Singh stitched 61 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest partnership in the innings.Teen sensation Ishant Sharma struk in the first ball of his first over, trapping left-handed Jesse Ryder (1) to give India the kind of start they needed.Martin Guptill could have been back in the hut in the very next ball but Kiwi umpire Evan Watkin was not impressed with the appeal.Replacing Ryder at the wicket, Guptill offered no shot to one, which came back in and could have castled his stumps but Watkin thought otherwise. Television replays also showed that the ball could have knocked down off-stump.The hosts moved steadily towards the target as Guptill and Brendon McCullum batted smartly, avoiding risks and putting bad balls to the fence.Black Caps crossed the 50-run mark without losing any more wicket, causing tension in the Indian camp.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, making a comeback to the team, provided the breakthrough when he trapped well-set Guptill to keep India afloat in the match.Before departing, Guptill hit four fours and three sixes and shared a 54-run stand with McCullum.Building on the good start, Ross Taylor and McCullum carted Indian bowlers all around the park.

Taylor hit Yusuf Pathan for two sixes and one four in the 12th over to bring up 100 for the hosts.
As the match yet again tilted towards the hosts, Indian paceman Zaheer Khan dismissed Taylor (31), raising Indian hopes once again.But in the end McCullum and Jacob Oram romped home without any difficulty.