India vs New Zealand: Shikhar Dhawan hits third fifty in first T20 at Kotla

Shikhar Dhawan reached his fifty off 37 balls in the first India vs New Zealand T20.

After failing to score big in the ODI series, India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan bounced back with a half-century in the first T20 between India and New Zealand at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground. (India vs New Zealand, 1st T20 - HIGHLIGHTS)

India's Shikhar Dhawan raises his bat after scoring a half-century first Tw20 match against New Zealand in New Delhi. (AP)

Dhawan, who aggregated 91 runs in the three-ODI series which India won 2-1, got off to a solid start when he slammed two consecutive boundaries off left-arm paceman Trent Boult. The local boy helped a loosener from the Kiwi seamer to the fine leg boundary and then flicked a length ball through mid-wicket. (India vs New Zealand, 1st T20 - SCORECARD)

The Indian opener was given a life when Mitchell Santner dropped him at cover point.

From there on, Dhawan continued to pile on the runs as he dispatched a wide delivery from Boult past fine leg. He then cut a wide delivery past the point fielder to move into the 20s.

Dhawan reached his fifty off 37 balls with a single off Santner to fine leg. It was his third T20 fifty and the first against New Zealand.

He ultimately fell at 80, which is his highest score in T20Is. He failed to read a googly off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and Tom Latham did the rest from behind the stumps.