||Desk Report|| 

The ‘two Tim’ of New Zealand handed India worst ever 80-run T20 defeat in the first T20 in Wellington on Wednesday. Tim Seifert smashed 84-run knock and Tim Southee claimed three crucial wickets that provide the hosts 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was India’s worst ever T20 defeat. Their previous worst loss was by 49 runs against Australia at Bridgetown in 2010.

After winning the toss India invited New Zealand to bat first. Seifert and Colin Munro blazed away at the top of the innings as New Zealand posted their third highest T20 score of 219 for 6.

Seifert along with another opener Munro gave the hosts a flying start. Seifert’s previous best innings in eight internationals was an unbeaten 14 on debut. But the pair put on 86 in 50 balls for the first wicket before Munro fell for 34. Before being bowled by Khaleel Ahmed, Seifert added total 84 off 43 including seven fours and six sixes.

After then, Kane Williamson’s 34 and Ross Taylor’s 23 gives the Black Caps a dominating score. Later, Scott Kuggeleijn’s unbeaten 20 from 7 deliveries gives the Kiwis third highest T20 totals of 219. Hardik Pandya takes 2 wickets for India while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal claim one wicket each.

Chasing a tough target, India were bowled out for 139 in 19.2 overs. MS Dhoni was the only top-scorer of India with 39 off 31. India faltered from the start when Rohit Sharma went for one. Another opener Shikhar Dhawan blazed away with a 29 off 18, but five wickets fell for 26 runs in 33 deliveries once he was bowled by Lockie Ferguson.

Vijay Shankar ( 27), Rishabh Pant (4), Dinesh Karthik (5),  Hardik Pandya (4) were failed. In the seventh-wicket stand, MS Dhoni (39) and Krunal Pandya (20) gave a 52-run partnership but that went in vain when the last three wickets fell for only 10 runs.