Star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson continued his superb run in 2026, smashing 67 off just 33 deliveries to power India to their highest successful chase in T20Is.
Overcoming a mid-innings wobble, the visitors clinched a four-wicket win against New Zealand in the series opener in Christchurch on Thursday.
After being put in to bat, New Zealand rode on explosive innings from Finn Allen (45 off 24 balls) and Glenn Phillips (82 not out off 40) to post a daunting 225/8, exposing India’s bowling woes.
Samson then gave the visitors a flying start in the chase, but a middle-order collapse brought New Zealand back into the contest.
Late cameos from captain Shreyas Iyer (42) and Naman Dhir (42 not out off just 15 balls) guided India to a thrilling victory
over New Zealand, sealing the chase with two balls to spare.
The second T20I of the five-match series will also be held at Hagley Oval on Saturday, October 24.
The match looked as good as done, with India racing to 94/1 in the powerplay.
But New Zealand spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell turned the tide in the middle overs, triggering a collapse that saw India lose three wickets for just seven runs and bringing the contest back to life.
From 93/0, India slipped to 122/4 in the 11th over.
The sizeable boundaries in Christchurch proved decisive as well, with Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma falling while attempting to clear the ropes.
India’s middle order couldn’t build on the blazing start provided by Samson, who smashed eight boundaries and four sixes in his superb innings. The fifty was his eighth in 26 knocks this year, underlining his brilliant consistency in the high-risk T20 format.
Samson cleared the straight boundary, with his standout shot being a flick off Lockie Ferguson that sailed over long-on for a six.
Abhishek Sharma (29 off 12) was happy to play second fiddle in the 93-run opening partnership. He pulled Adam Milne for successive sixes in the fourth over to get into the act.
(With PTI Inputs)
