Samson leads India’s record chase as visitors down New Zealand by four wickets

India began their tour of New Zealand on a positive note, pulling off a record chase to beat the hosts by four wickets in the opening T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday. Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir starred with the bat as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.

Chasing an imposing 226, India made a flying start through Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who put on 93 runs for the opening wicket. The pair attacked from the outset, relying heavily on boundaries to race to 50 in just 3.2 overs. Samson led the charge, with India completing a 50-run partnership in only 19 deliveries.

The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter brought up his half-century off just 23 balls, having struck seven fours and three sixes by then. India finished the powerplay at 94 for one and crossed 100 in the seventh over, putting the required rate firmly within reach.

Even after losing Abhishek along the way, Samson continued to dominate before his innings ended at 67 off 33 deliveries, with eight fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 203.03. He was bowled by Mitchell Santner, giving New Zealand a chance to fight back after a blistering start by the visitors.

Iyer kept the chase on track with a valuable 42, while Axar Patel chipped in with 24. Dhir then provided the finishing push with an unbeaten 42, ensuring India maintained the momentum despite losing wickets in the latter stages. India crossed 150 in the 14th over and went past 200 in the 18th before completing the chase with two balls to spare.

Earlier, Glenn Phillips smashed an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls to power New Zealand to 225/4. Finn Allen provided an explosive start with 45, but it was Phillips, who did the heavy lifting through the middle and death overs to take the Kiwis on course for their highest T20I total against India on home soil.

Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel picked up a wicket each, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar went wicketless on his return to international cricket.

Brief scores: New Zealand 225/4 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 45, Glenn Phillips 82 not out; Mayank Yadav 1/40) lost to India 230/6 in 19.4 overs (Sanju Samson 67, Shreyas Iyer 42, Naman Dhir 42 not out; Michael Bracewell 2/37) by 4 wickets.