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India chase 226 to beat New Zealand by four wickets as Naman Dhir hits 42 off 15 and Samson makes 67
India overhauled New Zealand's 225/4 with two balls to spare to win the first T20I by four wickets. Sanju Samson scored 67 off 33, Shreyas Iyer 42, and Naman Dhir finished with 42 not out off 15. India lead the five-match series 1-0.
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India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20 international at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, chasing 226 and getting there with two balls to spare. Naman Dhir's unbeaten 42 off 15 balls finished the job after Sanju Samson's 67 off 33 had given India the start they needed, and the visitors lead the five-match series 1-0.
New Zealand – 225/4 (20 ov)
| Batting | R | B | S/R | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Seifertc Sanju Samson b Mayank Yadav | 24 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 141.18 |
| Finn Allenc Tilak Varma b Axar Patel | 45 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 187.50 |
| Daryl Mitchellc Bhuvneshwar Kumar b Arshdeep Singh | 28 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 147.37 |
| Glenn Phillipsnot out | 82 | 40 | 8 | 3 | 205 |
| Bevon Jacobsrun out (Arshdeep Singh) | 31 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 193.75 |
| Michael Bracewellnot out | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 116.67 |
Total225/4 (20 ov)
| Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 12.25 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 11.25 |
| Mayank Yadav | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 10 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 51 | 1 | 12.75 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 10 |
India – 230/6 (19.4 ov)
| Batting | R | B | S/R | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samsonb Mitchell Santner | 67 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 203.03 |
| Abhishek Sharmac Adam Milne b Michael Bracewell | 29 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 241.67 |
| Tilak Varmac Lockie Ferguson b Michael Bracewell | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 54.55 |
| Shreyas Iyerc Mitchell Santner b Adam Milne | 42 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 150 |
| Ishan Kishanc Finn Allen b Mitchell Santner | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Axar Patelc sub (Devon Conway) b Lockie Ferguson | 24 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 171.43 |
| Naman Dhirnot out | 42 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 280 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddynot out | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Total230/6 (19.4 ov)
| Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Henry | 3.4 | 0 | 57 | 0 | 15.55 |
| Adam Milne | 3 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 14.33 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 3 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 11.33 |
| Michael Bracewell | 4 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 9.25 |
| Mitchell Santner | 4 | 0 | 39 | 2 | 9.75 |
| Nathan Smith | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10 |
Data last updated: 22 Oct 2026, 6:15 PM IST
The two sides were the finalists of this year's T20 World Cup, and Shreyas Iyer, India's captain, chose to field after winning the toss, and New Zealand made the most of batting first. They finished on 225 for 4, and the match turned into a battle of the two best powerplays.
New Zealand's big total
Glenn Phillips made an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, and was the main reason the total went beyond 220. Finn Allen gave the innings its pace early, scoring 45 off 24 balls with five fours and two sixes before he fell to Axar Patel in the eighth over, and New Zealand were 65 for 1 after six overs. Tim Seifert made 24 and was caught by Samson off Mayank Yadav, and Daryl Mitchell made 28 before he was caught at short third man off Arshdeep Singh. Bevon Jacobs hit three sixes in his 31 off 16 balls before Arshdeep ran him out in the 18th over, and Michael Bracewell was 7 not out.
India's bowlers had a rough night. Axar Patel took 1 for 51 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, back after nearly four years out of the side, ended with 0 for 49 in his final spell. Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep each took wickets, Arshdeep two in all counting the run-out.
Samson and Abhishek Sharma took the target apart at the start. They put on 93 off 35 balls for the first wicket, and India were 94 for 1 after the powerplay. Samson reached 50 off 23 balls and hit eight fours and four sixes, a strike rate of more than 200, before he chopped a delivery from Mitchell Santner on to his stumps at around the tenth over. Abhishek made 29 off 12 balls and was caught at short third man off Bracewell.
Then New Zealand's spinners clawed the game back. Tilak Varma made 6 off 11 balls and was caught at deep mid-wicket off Bracewell, and Santner bowled Ishan Kishan for a single in one account. India were 119 for 3 after ten overs, and Axar Patel's quick runs took them to 171 for 5 after 15.
The finish
Iyer held the chase together, scoring 42 off 27 balls before Adam Milne had him caught on the first ball of the 19th over, leaving India needing 16 off 11. Dhir then took the game away. He hit five fours and two sixes in his 15-ball innings, a strike rate of 280, and a top-edged six over the wicketkeeper off Henry won it. India finished on 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs. One scorecard lists the total as 224 and some details differ across accounts, but the result and the margin are the same in all of them. Dhir was named player of the match.
The result is a good start for a side that rested Jasprit Bumrah and picked a young batting group around Samson, Abhishek and Dhir. It leaves a question about the bowling: India conceded 225 on a ground where their best seamer was missing, and Bhuvneshwar's comeback began with an expensive evening.
The second T20I is on Saturday, 24 October, at the same ground, and starts at 12:30 pm IST. The three remaining matches are in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.
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