IND vs NZ 2021: 3 India players who impressed in the first T20I

Credit where it is due, New Zealand took the game to the last over. That made life difficult as India eventually won with two balls to spare in the first T20I in a three-match series.

India restricted the Kiwis to a subpar 165 on a batter-friendly track at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. They also got off to a strong start with Rohit Sharma (48) and Suryakumar Yadav (62) contributing with useful knocks.

However, a flurry of wickets saw the side endure a bit of a headache towards the end. But Rishabh Pant cracked one on the offside to give Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma's new journeys a winning start.

On that note, we take a look at the three players who impressed the most in the first T20I for India.

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#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar's solid India comeback

After a rather forgettable T20 World Cup 2021, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his stylish comeback with a spell that rolled back the years.

His 2/24 showed that he still had it in him to extract the swing from the surface. He accounted for the key wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Tim Seifert.

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#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has been an asset for India across formats. The tweaker bowled a peach of a delivery to dismiss a dangerous-looking Mark Chapman.

His 2/23 from four overs even included the wicket of Glenn Phillips. But it was the dismissal of Chapman that had fans roaring with excitement. Here's a quick description courtesy of Sportskeeda's commentary panel:

"Ravichandran Ashwin to Mark Chapman, CLEANED HIM UP! Proper Ashwin dismissal that. Beautifully tossed up on the middle stump line, Chapman looks to heave this across the line and is beaten in flight as the ball turns away to rattle the top of off-stump. Off-spinners dream dismissal! For Ashwin, it's just another one to add to his tally."

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav

Going from strength to strength, Suryakumar Yadav blitzed a 40-ball-62 coming in at No.3 to take India closer to the target. His knock was studded with six fours and three sixes as he looked at ease while at the crease.

It was only after his dismissal that things started to shake a little for India.

India will surely expect a few more runs from the Mumbai batter's willow over the course of the series.

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Honorary mention: Mohammed Siraj

He may have just one wicket to show for his efforts, but Siraj overcame an expensive spell to bowl a stellar final over for India. The Hyderabadi quick gave away just five runs in the last over and bagged the wicket of Rachin Ravindra.

The spell showed that he had the ability to make up and hold his own under pressure.