India skipper Rohit Sharma said that the win against New Zealand in the first T20I did not come as easy as the side expected after getting off to a good start.
Suryakumar Yadav (62) and Rohit (48) starred with the bat as India chased down 165 to defeat New Zealand by five wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Rajasthan.
"Towards the end, we saw it wasn't easy. It was a great learning for the guys because those guys haven't batted in that situation before for India.
It was a great learning for them to understand what needs to be done. It's not about power-hitting all the time and you try and put the ball to the left or right of the fielder and try and take singles or find boundaries," Rohit told the host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
Earlier, Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman played knocks of 70 and 63, respectively, as New Zealand posted a total of 164/6.
For India, Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned with two wickets each.
With this win, India has gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second game set to be played on November 19.
(ANI)