The Super 10 stage of the 2016 ICC World T20 got off to a dramatic start, with hosts India defeated by New Zealand in Nagpur.
The opening game of Group 2 was not a high-scoring affair by any means, with New Zealand eventually prevailing by 47 runs after scoring just 126 from their 20 overs.
In reply, India were swamped by the New Zealand spin trio of Nathan McCullum (2-15), Mitchell Santner (4-11) and Ish Sodhi (3-18) to eventually be bowled out for 79, their second lowest total in this format.
For the Indians, they now face what looks like three three must-win games if they are to harbour hopes of qualification to the semi-final stage.
Kiwis lose top three early after dramatic start
The first two deliveries of the 2016 World T20 hopefully set the tone for what is ahead over the next couple of weeks.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat, New Zealand's Martin Guptill took no time at all to start swinging, playing a booming straight drive straight back over Ravi Ashwin's head for six on the first ball of the tournament.
Ashwin got his own-back with the very next delivery though, when he had Guptill given LBW despite ball-tracking suggesting that the delivery would have bounced over the stumps.
That wicket saw Colin Munro enter the fray, and he continued where Guptill had left-off, playing an excellent reverse sweep off Ashwin which sailed over the fence for another six. New Zealand's intentions were clear, and they continued to go after the bowling in the second over, but it didn't pay off as Munro toe-ended the ball straight to Hardik Pandya at mid-off to give Ashish Nehra his first wicket of the tournament.
New Zealand's skipper Kane Williamson played an uncharacteristic innings where he really struggled to time the ball, and he was eventually dismissed for 8 off 16 balls. It was Suresh Raina who accounted for Williamson's wicket, with MS Dhoni completing the stumping to leave New Zealand in trouble at 35-3.
Anderson holds innings together, as Kiwis restricted to 126
Corey Anderson and Ross Taylor then went about re-building the innings, and were going in the right direction before an excellent piece of fielding off his own bowling by Raina bought the partnership to an end, running out Taylor for 10.
India continued to tighten the screw on a slow wicket, with youngster Jasprit Bumrah really impressing with the control he was showing with the ball. Bumrah was almost bowling yorkers at will, and he accounted for the wicket of Anderson for 34 doing just that, when the big left-hander missed a straight one.
Santner put together a decent innings of 18 before skying a delivery from Ravindra Jadeja, with Grant Elliott following a couple of overs later after being run-out by Shikhar Dhawan for 9.
The innings ended as it had started, with a high-scoring over, which came courtesy of a cameo from Luke Ronchi. The Australian-born keeper hit two fours and a maximum in his 11-ball 21, which took the final total to 126-7 from their 20 overs.
Spin twins knock over Indian top order, who collapse to 26-4
Earlier in the day there had been quite a surprise at the toss, when Williamson announced that none of Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan or Tim Southee would be playing in Nagpur. The seamers had all been left out in favour of a bowling attack stacked full of spinners on a pitch they clearly felt was going to offer a lot of turn.
Their selection was truly vindicated early on in the Indian reply, when the hosts and heavy tournament favourites found themselves reeling at 26-4.
Just as in the New Zealand innings, there was a wicket in the opening over, and it was Dhawan to go for India, when he was trapped LBW for 1 by Nathan McCullum.
Dhawan's opening partner Rohit Sharma followed soon after, when he stumped by Ronchi off the bowling of Santner for just five, with Raina caught by Guptill in the same over for one as India slumped to 12-3.
It was then McCullum who grabbed his second wicket of the innings, when he caught-and-bowled Yuvraj Singh for four to leave India 26-4 inside of five overs and in more than a spot of bother.
Spinners continue to wreak havoc to help New Zealand prevail by 47 runs
Despite the glut of early wickets, the Indian fans were still full of confidence, which continued to grow the longer Virat Kohli stayed at the crease.
With all the carnage happening around him, Kohli looked in fine touch and had set himself up for a match-winning knock.
That came to an end though, when he edged behind Ish Sodhi's first delivery on 23 to all-but end India's hopes of a dramatic fightback.
Santner returned to the attack, and duly removed Pandya for one, with Sodhi then collecting his second wicket in the next over, taking a tremendous caught-and-bowled chance to dismiss Jadeja for 1.
After a period of respite for the home fans, the eighth wicket eventually fell, with Ashwin stumped for 10 off Sodhi after a 30-run partnership alongside MS Dhoni.
Dhoni's knock of 30 was bought to an end by a terrific catch on the boundary by McCullum off Santner, to give the young left-armer his fourth wicket, with Nehra knocked over for a duck by Adam Milne in the 19th over to bring a curtain down on a harrowing day for Indian cricket.