India wins T20 series opener against New Zealand by 48 runs

NAGPUR, India (AP) — Abhishek Sharma scored 84 off 35 balls as India beat New Zealand by 48 runs Wednesday in the opener of a five-match T20 series.

Sharma, the world’s number one T20 batter, hit eight sixes and five fours as India notched up 238-7 in 20 overs. It was the third highest T20 score against New Zealand.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav scored 32 off 22 balls, while Rinku Singh provided a late flourish with 44 not out off 20 balls.

Singh hit three sixes and four fours as India reached only the second-ever 200-plus total in T20s at the VCA Stadium — a first since 2009.

New Zealand fell short despite Glenn Phillips’ 78 off 40 balls. Mark Chapman also scored 39 off 24 balls as the Black Caps finished with 190-7 in 20 overs.

The series is preparation by both teams for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starting Feb. 7. New Zealand won its first ODI bilateral series in India on Sunday.

Raipur will host the second T20 on Friday.

Put into bat, India lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8).

Sharma powered his way to 50 off 22 balls and put on 99 off 47 balls with Yadav. India crossed 100 in the ninth over, and the skipper was out caught in the 11th over as Mitchell Santner (1-37) got the breakthrough.

Ish Sodhi struck in the next over too — removing Sharma — and India seemed to lose its way at 185-6 in 15.4 overs.

Hardik Pandya scored 25 off 16 balls, while Shivam Dube managed only 9 runs. Axar Patel was out for only 5.

Singh held one end together and used the time-penalty to good effect in the end to propel India to an improbable target.

Pacers Kyle Jamieson (2-54) and Jacob Duffy (2-27) picked up a brace each.

In reply, New Zealand started poorly. Devon Conway was caught behind for a two-ball duck. Rachin Ravindra fell for 1.

Opener Tim Robinson scored 21 runs and put on 51 off 30 balls with Phillips, before Varun Chakravarthy (2-37) dismissed the former in the seventh over.

From 52-3, Phillips and Chapman added 79 off 42 balls for the fourth wicket. It set up New Zealand’s chase.

Both batters survived owing to India’s lapses in the field, and Phillips powered his way to 50 off 29 balls.

The breakthrough finally came in the 14th over — Phillips was out caught off Axar Patel.

Thereafter, the Black Caps didn’t have enough time left in the game despite sufficient firepower.

Daryl Mitchell scored 28 off 18 balls, while Santner was unbeaten on 20 off 13 balls, but the target proved to be too tall.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

New Zealand's Mark Chapman bats during the first T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur, India, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Indian fans cheer for their team during the first T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur, India, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips bats during the first T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur, India, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

India's captain Suryakumar Yadav, left, and batting partner Abhishek Sharma encourage each other during the first T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur, India, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

India's Rinku Singh bats during the first T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur, India, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal immigration authorities allowed a suspect in a $100 million jewelry heist believed to be the largest in U.S. history to deport himself to South America in December, a move that stunned and upset prosecutors who were planning to try the case and send him to prison.

Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven people charged last year with stalking an armored truck to a rural freeway rest stop north of Los Angeles and stealing millions worth of diamonds, emeralds, gold, rubies and designer watches in 2022.

Flores faced up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Flores in late December after he requested voluntary departure, prosecutors said in court filings.

ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Flores' attorney, John D. Robertson, motioned to dismiss the indictment against his client, asking for the charges to be permanently dropped and the case closed.

Federal prosecutors oppose the motion and say they still hope to bring Flores to trial, asking for charges to be dropped “without prejudice" to keep the door open for criminal prosecution in the future.

Despite Flores being a lawful permanent resident and released on bail, he was taken into ICE custody in September, according to court filings from his defense attorneys. Federal prosecutors say they were unaware Flores had an immigration detainer.

This was a violation of his criminal prosecution rights and warrants his case getting dismissed, Robertson said in his motion.

Flores opted for deportation to Chile during a Dec. 16 immigration hearing, according to court documents. The judge denied his voluntary departure application but issued a final order of removal, and he was sent to Ecuador.

“Prosecutors are supposed to allow the civil immigration process to play out independently while criminal charges are pending,” federal prosecutors wrote in their motion opposing the case dismissal. “That is exactly what they did in this case — unwittingly to defendant’s benefit in that he will now avoid trial, and any potential conviction and sentence, unless and until he returns to the United States.”

What happened to Flores is extremely unusual, especially in a case of this significance, former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson said.

Ordinarily, if a criminal defendant had immigration proceedings against them — which is common — immigration officials would inform prosecutors what was happening. In minor cases, a defendant can sometimes choose to self-deport in lieu of prosecution.

“It's just beyond me how they would deport him without the prosecutors … being in on the conversation,” Levenson said. “This really was the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.”

The jewelers who were stolen from are also demanding answers.

“When a defendant in a major federal theft case leaves the country before trial, victims are left without answers, without a verdict, and without closure,” Jerry Kroll, an attorney for some of the jewelry companies, told the Los Angeles Times.

The infamous jewelry heist unfolded in July 2022 after the suspects scouted the Brink’s tractor-trailer leaving an international jewelry show near San Francisco with dozens of bags of jewels, according to the indictment. While the victims reported more than $100 million in losses, Brink’s said the stolen items were worth less than $10 million.

A lawsuit filed by the Brink's security company said one of the drivers was asleep inside the big rig and the other was getting food inside the rest stop when the thieves broke in.

Schoenbaum reported from Park City, Utah.

FILE - This undated photo released by the FBI shows a jewelry showcase displaying some of the jewelry that was taken during a July 11, 2022 jewelry heist in Southern California where thieves stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry and gemstones near a rest stop in the unincorporated community of Lebec, Calif. (FBI via AP, File)