New Zealand vs India, 1st T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: India tour of New Zealand, 2020 Venue: Eden Park, Auckland Date & Time: Jan 24, 07:50 PM LOCAL

KL Rahul smashed 56 at the top of the order to set the base for India's chase. © Getty

Iyer 58* finishes off the chase with an over to spare

That's another feather in the cap of Shreyas Iyer, the international cricketer. He walked in at a very tricky situation and he has ensured he's walked out with the job done. If he hasn't already booked his berth for the T20 World Cup, today's innings ought to do it. India eventually did it at a canter. They needed 18 off 12, Iyer hit them all off Southee's 19th to finish the game with an over to spare!

I'll leave you with a stat and a Kohli quote

⁦@cricbuzz⁩

20 3

Prelude - 1st T20I

19th January - ODI in Bengaluru || 24th January - T20I in Auckland. There are quick turnarounds and then there's this. Somewhere, some administrator is responsible for this scheduling, but he'll get some insurance from the T20 World Cup that has thrown the narratives straight away into combinations.

Does Rahul continue as keeper in T20 cricket? It would seem so as per Virat Kohli's admission yesterday. Does Pant play as a pure batsman or will it be Samson? Can Navdeep Saini step it up in the T20 format?

Many questions await India, who are still looking for their first T20I series win against New Zealand. This five-match series is particularly important for Kohli & Co. in this World Cup year given they've found their toughest challenge in the format against the Black Caps.

What about New Zealand then? They are coming from a rather chastening tour of Australia and are without two of their key performers in Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson. If there's something going for them, it is that they don't have jetlag to deal with and that could just prove to be the difference between the two sides heading into this Eden Park opener!