The fastest format of cricket, Twenty20, is seldom predictable. That was proved again in the opening game of the World Twenty20 championship Tuesday when heavily favored India managed to lose to unheralded New Zealand in Nagpur.
India is hosting the event for the first time. Home-pitch advantage and the fanatical fans who have made cricket king on the subcontinent should be providing a big edge to a team that is ranked No. 1 in the world in Twenty20.
India’s bowlers blitzed through New Zealand, limiting them to only 126 runs, a total India seemed sure to surpass.