T20 World Cup Final: Turning points in the India vs New Zealand summit clash

NZ’s selections, decision to chaseWinning the toss on a flat Ahmedabad wicket, NZ chose to chase in a high-pressure final. The move to leave out off-spinner Cole McConchie, despite India’s leftheavy top order struggling against off-spin, was puzzling.India’s Powerplay blitzAbhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson dismantled the Kiwi pace attack, hammering 24 runs off Lockie Ferguson (4th over), 21 off Matt Henry (5th over) and 20 off Jacob Duffy (6th). The 92-run Powerplay — highest ever in T20 World Cups — set the tone.

Abhishek comes goodThe off-colour Abhishek Sharma, on the biggest stage, produced fearless strokeplay, racing to the fastest fifty (off 18 balls) of the tournament.Tactical error with Glenn PhillipsThe off-spinner bowled a tidy over early, conceding just five runs.

Surprisingly, New Zealand never used him again.Dube’s final-over assaultFacing Neesham, Shivam Dube unleashed a stunning late assault which yielded 24 runs. The late burst turned an already-daunting total into an overwhelming one.NZ batters stumble in PowerplayAxar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah dismantled the top order early. Those breakthroughs ensured New Zealand could never build any sort of momentum.