Only twice did silence drape the arena. The first time was when Sanju departed; the next was when Finn Allen kept the Black Caps in the game with a flurry of fours and sixes. Like Ishan Kishan, he optimised the shorter boundaries and sped to 80 off 37 balls. He survived a stumping chance off Axar Patel’s bowling but ensured that New Zealand were in hot pursuit of the gargantuan total the hosts had piled up. He did not spare even Bumrah, whom he pulled over mid-on.

Finn Allen in action. (Surjeet Yadav / CREIMAS for BCCI)

The rest were ruthlessly torn apart. He showered special affection on Arshdeep Singh, whom he greeted with a pair of fours and later disarrayed for 21 runs. The leading run-scorer in the BBL, he reprised that form in more benign conditions. He read the length quickly and processed his strokes. Like Ishan, he too preferred the shorter leg-side, especially when facing the bowlers from the Pavilion End. Both Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel were shredded as he injected furious momentum into the innings.

But hunting down a total so steep was unrealistic. New Zealand had to sustain the tempo while also preserving wickets. Against a variegated and disciplined bowling unit, it was unfeasible. Allen himself flinched. He tried to pull a shortish ball from Axar Patel. The ball slipped on — perhaps dew-influenced. He still got ample wood and nearly flew over the fence, but for a composed catch by Rinku Singh, whose boundary-riding had been exemplary in the tournament.

A strange meltdown ensued. The visitors lost four wickets while adding just 20 runs. The persistent Axar ejected Glenn Phillips, while Arshdeep redeemed his profligate day with the scalps of Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner. Though Mitchell was still in the middle, eclipsing the total was near-impossible. He fought on, but it was a bridge too far to cross.

The spin pair of Varun and Axar again performed a star turn. Despite the dew — Surya’s motive to bat first was to give his bowlers another round of exposure to dewy conditions — their control was exemplary. Axar’s first three overs leaked only 23 runs; Varun was unfortunate not to have picked up more wickets.

Arshdeep benefited from the pressure they imposed and returned to grab his five-for. If his lengths were awry in the first spell, he was more precise in his second burst. He uncorked a devilish yorker to shatter the stumps of Mitchell, who wantonly attempted a reverse sweep.

Thus, without being stretched, India completed a straightforward series wrap, one that embellished their aura. The lone concern would be the form of opener Sanju. His tortured stay lasted six balls. The lone four came via an edge through the slips while attempting a flick. The culprits were stiff hands and stiffer legs. His back-foot punch, gorgeous when sweetly struck, dribbled from the lower part of the bat to the fielders. The passion and prayers of the crowd that had begun to trickle in from forenoon dissipated in that moment of continued indiscretion.

Sanju Samson in action. (Surjeet Yadav / CREIMAS for BCCI)

The reliability of openers is not as significant in T20s as it is in the longer versions, but a dysfunctional pair could still destabilise a side. Since the Asia Cup, Abhishek has been doing the heavy lifting, and his young shoulders might creak under the burden. In 21 games since, he has averaged 40 at a strike rate of 195. Sanju’s numbers after being reinstated at the top read 86 runs in six outings. Gill, in 15 outings since his return, has aggregated 24 runs at a strike rate of 137.

Certainly, India bat deep and are stacked with power-hitters. But before the business end of the World Cup defence kicks in, they will need a partner to unburden Abhishek, so that India can sprint to milestones on the grand stage too.

Brief scores: India: 271 for 5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 103, Suryakumar Yadav 63; Lockie Ferguson 2/41) bt New Zealand: 225 allout in 19.4 overs (Finn Allen 80; Arshdeep Singh 5/51)