On January 18, India defeated New Zealand by 12 runs in the opening One Day International at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. But the hosts had it far from easy because middle-order sensation Michael Bracewell, who went on to score an incredible century, gave them a serious worry.
While India's batting was effective on that particular day, their bowling fell short and they wasted the chance to manage an early finish despite having the opponent on the ropes by cheaply dismissing their top-order.
The Men in Blue were able to pull victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to some death over brilliance from pacers Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya. Shardul Thakur, a bowling all-rounder, handled the pressure wonderfully in the decisive over, taking down Bracewell and giving India a 1-0 series lead.
Brief scores: India 349/8 in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 208; Daryl Mitchell 2-30, Henry Shipley 2-74) beat New Zealand 337 all out in 49.2 overs (Michael Bracewell 140, Mitchell Santner 57; Mohammed Siraj 4-46) by 12 runs.