Sanju Samson’s 33-ball 67 got the chase moving and Naman Dhir’s unbeaten 42 off 15 balls finished it as India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday.
Set 226 to win, India reached 230/6 with two balls to spare. It is the highest total India have ever chased down in a T20 international, and it puts Shreyas Iyer’s side 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Phillips powers New Zealand to 225
Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first, and New Zealand made full use of a good batting pitch. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert went after the bowling from the start, with Allen scoring 45 off 24 balls.
Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel picked up wickets, but Glenn Phillips took control through the middle and death overs. He finished unbeaten on 82 from 40 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. Daryl Mitchell chipped in with 28 off 19 as New Zealand closed on 225/4.
Samson and Abhishek go hard early
India needed a fast start and got one. Samson and Abhishek Sharma took 68 runs from the first four overs, which kept the required rate in check from the outset.
Samson was in good touch against the New Zealand seamers and reached his fifty quickly. He came into this series as Player of the Tournament at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where he made 321 runs, and he picked up from where he left off.
Spin pulls New Zealand back
New Zealand turned to their spinners and the game changed. Michael Bracewell broke the opening stand by removing Abhishek for 29, and captain Mitchell Santner then struck twice in quick succession to dismiss Samson and Ishan Kishan.
India slipped from 93 without loss to 122/4, and the asking rate began to climb.
Iyer and Axar steadied the innings. Iyer made 42 off 28 balls and Axar hit 24 off 14, and the pair took 20 runs off Matt Henry in the 14th over to bring India back into the game.
Dhir finishes the job
Iyer was out in the 19th over with 15 runs still needed, which left the finish to Dhir. The right-hander found the boundary with ease, and with three needed from the last four balls, he hit Henry over deep fine leg for six to seal the win.
Brief scores: New Zealand 225/4 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 82 not out, Finn Allen 45, Daryl Mitchell 28) lost to India 230/6 in 19.4 overs (Sanju Samson 67, Shreyas Iyer 42, Naman Dhir 42 not out, Abhishek Sharma 29) by four wickets.
What comes next
The two teams stay in Christchurch for the second T20I on 24 October. The series then moves to Wellington on 27 October, Auckland on 30 October and Hamilton on 1 November.
