Sri Lanka won the first T20I on Sunday after New Zealand lower-order batter Ish Sodhi hit a six off the last ball of the final over to send the match into a Super Over.

The Sri Lankans posted a formidable 196/5 batting first and New Zealand came to the final over needing 13 runs to win. They needed a six to force a Super Over.

Sodhi averages 9.6 in T20Is and had the huge responsibility of facing the last ball from Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, who till then had bowled well. The delivery was full and angled into leg stump. Sodhi, with a swooping motion of the bat, hoisted it over mid-wicket and into the stands for a maximum as scores were levelled.

For the Super Over, New Zealand chose Daryl Mitchell (66,) James Neesham and Mark Chapman as their batters while Sri Lanka called on Maheesh Theekshana to bowl. Mitchell took a single from the first ball, the second was a wide and Neesham was out to the third. Chapman scored a two, then a four and was bowled off the last ball as New Zealand managed 8/2.

Kusal Mendis (25) and Charith Asalanka (67) were Sri Lanka’s performers with the bat early on.

And they were again chosen to bat in the Super Over, facing Neesham. Mendis took a single from the first ball and then Asalanka finished it with a six and a four in the next two balls, giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the series.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 196/5 in 20 overs (C. Asalanka 67; J. Neesham 2/30). New Zealand 196/8 in 20 overs (D. Mitchell 66; D. Shanaka 2/20). Sri Lanka won via SuperOver.