India's batting failed to put any pressure on New Zealand's bowlers as Virat Kohli and Co. suffered a six-wicket defeat in the first warm-up game ahead of the ICC World Cup on Saturday.
Needing 180 to win, the Kiwis rode on fifties by skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to reach home with 77 balls to spare.
As it happened| World Cup: India loses to New Zealand by six wickets
Under overcast conditions, Trent Boult’s (4/33 in 6.2 overs) incisive swing bowling left the opposition top-order in tatters. His first spell saw openers Rohit Sharma (2), Shikhar Dhawan (2) and KL Rahul (6) being dismissed as India folded for a modest 179 in 39.2 overs.
Dinesh Karthik’s poor IPL form continued while Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav's respective injuries prevented the duo from playing at the Oval.
Kohli (18 off 24 balls) was cleaned up by Colin de Grandhomme’s off-cutter while Hardik Pandya (30 off 37 balls), who added 38 runs with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (17 off 42 balls) for the fifth wicket, became James Neesham's first victim of the match. Neesham got rid of Karthik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return figures of three for 26.
Ravindra Jadeja’s 54 off 50 balls and 1/27 in 7 overs was the only silver lining for India.
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