The White Ferns have won the only T20 of the series against India by 18 runs in Queenstown.
Sophie Devine got the White Ferns of to a flying start against India. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Sent in to bat the White Ferns scored 155-5 off their 20 overs.
The New Zealanders made a fast start to their innings with captain Sophie Devine hitting a quick-fire 31 off 23 balls before she was caught in the deep in the 8th over, with the score at 60-1.
Twenty runs later fellow opener Suzie Bates was bowled out for 36.
Allrounder Amelia Kerr was hit on the helmet and did not last much longer at the crease, skying a ball for an easy catch to be out for 17.
Maddy Green was the fourth wicket to fall, caught out for 26 in the 18th over, to be Deepti Sharma's second scalp.
Lea Tahuhu was caught on the boundary for 27 with seven balls remaining in the innings.
Katey Martin hit two boundaries in her three balls faced to be unbeaten on 9 with Brooke Halliday on 7 at the end of New Zealand's innings.
Pooja Vastrakar also took two wickets for India.
In reply, spinner Amelia Kerr took the first Indian wicket of Yastika Bhatia for 26 and then removed Shafali Verma two balls later for 13 to leave India at 42-2.
Jess Kerr bowled Harmanpreet Kaur for 12 and Tahuhu dismissed India's top-scorer Sabbhineni Meghana for 37 to leave the visiting needing 55 runs off the last five overs with six wickets in hand.
Devine then struck to take her first wicket, bowling wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh for 12 and setting up a tense finish.
Hayley Jensen had Sneh Rana caught for 6 and three balls later had Pooja Vastrakar's wicket to have India 122-7 in the 19th over and facing an uphill battle to chase down the remaining runs.
The first of five ODIs between the two teams is on Saturday at John Davies Oval in Queenstown.
