After being sent in to bat at the toss, Abhishek Sharma struck 84 from 35 balls as India scored a mammoth 238-7 in their 20 overs.
It was a tail of two halves for the hosts as Abhishek gave them a quick start before Rinku Singh finished off the innings with a brutal 44 not out off just 20 deliveries.
Jacob Duffy was the best bowler on display for the Black Caps with the seamer returning more than respectable figures of 2-27 in his four overs.
The visitors were always going to be up against it chasing the huge total but Glenn Phillips showed good fight with 78 off 40 balls as his team eventually reached 190-7.
Mark Chapman chipped in with 38 while Daryl Mitchell, coming off a player-of-the-series award in the ODI series, scored 28.
It was though all a futile effort with the bat from New Zealand as India just piled on too many runs in the first innings.
India spinner Varun Chakravarthy again demonstrated why he will be key player at the T20 World Cup with figures of 2-37 in his four overs.
The second game of the five-match series will take place in Raipur on Friday.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner insists he is proud of his players despite falling to a big defeat against India in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav says the team's next target is to win the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028 after capturing the T20 World Cup trophy on home soil.
India cemented their dominance in white-ball cricket by defeating New Zealand by 96 runs in Ahmedabad to become the first men's side to win the T20 World Cup three times and the first to defend the title successfully.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner insists they are ready to cause an upset as they prepare to face hosts India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
