NZ spin to stunning win over India

The match in a tweet: Kiwis by knockout! Black Caps kept to 7-126 but India fall apart in response, bowled out for 79 as NZ stun the tournament favourites #WT20

The hero: In a match of this significance, one might have expected names such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni or Kane Williamson to take centre stage. Instead, it was the largely unheralded allrounder Mitchell Santner who takes our 'hero' honours. Santner will be familiar to Australian audiences after playing a Test and ODIs against Steve Smith's side this summer, but he's largely an unknown quantity to the Indians. Well, not anymore. The left-arm orthodox spinner removed danger men Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina in his opening spell, before coming back to dismiss Hardik Pandya. At that point, he had figures of 3-3, having played an instrumental role in the Indians' spectacular collapse. He finished with 4-11 – the best figures by a spinner against India – and if you throw in a handy 18 from 17 with the bat, Santner shapes as a key all-round contributor for the Kiwis in the rest of this tournament.

The support cast: Corey Anderson spared New Zealand blushes to some extent with a patient 34 from 42 as wickets fell around him in this low-scoring contest. Luke Ronchi (21no off 11) also chipped in with a handy cameo as the Black Caps took 15 from the final over to reach their total of 7-126. Few figured that would be even close to enough against India's all-star batting line-up, but some canny bowling from Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott and particularly Ish Sodhi (more on him below) in conjunction with Santner turned the tide spectacularly.  

The moment: Sodhi's first ball. India were already 4-39 by the time Sodhi got the ball in his hands, but the hosts had an ace up their sleeve in the form of Kohli. Going into this contest, the Indian superstar averaged 84 in the second innings of T20 internationals and while he was at the crease, the hosts simply had to remain favourites. Which is why Sodhi's first ball was so important. A relatively gentle, looping leg-break, Kohli was enticed to drive, and followed the ball as it spun away from him and tickled the outside edge of his bat en route to Ronchi behind the stumps. Kohli was on his way for 23, and much of India's optimism exited with him. There was more to come from Sodhi, the tweaker taking a superb caught and bowled, and befuddling Ravi Ashwin with a delightful leg-break that resulted in his stumping.

The opening salvos: What a first over it was! Martin Guptill – arguably the most dangerous batsman in this Black Caps line-up – deposited Ashwin back over his head for six from the first ball of the Super 10s stage of the tournament. Very next ball, he heaved across the line, missed, and was adjudged lbw. Tracking technology suggested the ball was going over the top of the stumps, but what mattered was the Guptill was on his way, and the rot was about to set in for the Kiwis. Colin Munro ensured the crazy continued in the opening over, reverse slogging a six from Ashwin as the contest kicked off in sensational fashion.

The talking point: Around 1.2 billion people will be anxiously awaiting news on the condition of MS Dhoni's thumb. The skipper copped a knock during his wicketkeeping duties, was assessed by India's team doctor, and opted to battle on. He was clearly in discomfort however, shaking his hand in pain occasionally, and India fans will be sweating on an update. They can take solace in the fact that Dhoni batted seemingly without pain, top scoring for India with a run-a-ball 30, before offering at least a muted assurance of his health in the post-match TV interview.

The consolation effort: The fact that five Indian bowlers took one wicket each summed up an outstanding all-round performance with the ball from the tournament favourites. Of the spin trio, Ashwin got the early breakthrough, Ravi Jadeja found some serious turn and was at times unplayable, and Raina was a more-than-handy third option, adding the excellent run-out of Ross Taylor from his own bowling to a fine spell. Young quick Jasprit Bumrah showed everyone why he's been discussed as such an exciting prospect, taking 1-15 from four.

The stat: India have now played five T20 internationals against New Zealand. They've lost all five.

The wash-up: Well few saw this one coming. If India's match against Pakistan wasn't big enough already, it's just taken on extra significance; two defeats for the hosts would be just about terminal. The Black Caps meanwhile go to the top of the Group Two table and will doubtless be riding a serious wave of confidence heading into their next clash.

The next stop: The Black Caps now head to Dharamshala for a meeting with Australia on Friday night, while India have that blockbuster clash with Pakistan the following day in Kolkata.