In their first T20I match against New Zealand, India managed to defeat the team by four wickets in the Christchurch's Hagley Oval ground on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
Sanju Samson scored 67 runs while Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir scored 42 runs each. India finished their batting at 230/6 in order to win the match with two balls remaining.
Iyer, captaining India in this series, won the toss and chose to bowl. India made two changes, bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank. Their XI was Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Iyer, Tilak Varma, Dhir, Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mayank. New Zealand were led by Mitchell Santner.
India arrived in Christchurch after a tiring journey and a high-scoring series against the West Indies just five days earlier, but they started the tour with a win.
With Finn Allen, playing in his home ground before the Christchurch crowd and returning after a long absence, providing an aggressive opening to New Zealand and making 45 runs and Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell also hitting boundaries, Indian bowlers were successful in restricting New Zealand from scoring at an easy pace.
Phillips then ruled the last part of the innings, being unbeaten in a score of 82 runs off 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes.
This was the highest total for New Zealand in any T20I match against India and also their joint sixth-highest ever in T20Is.
India's reply began with a bang. Samson and Abhishek Sharma made 93 runs in 35 balls in the opening wicket partnership, putting India ahead of the required run rate by miles. Samson scored 67 runs in 33 balls and was awarded the Man of the Match title.
In reply to the fall of the first wicket of India, New Zealand spinners came into action. Bracewell picked up two wickets for 37 runs and Santner picked up 2 for 39 runs.
The Final Overs
- India’s last few overs relied on the performances of the following three players:
- Shreyas Iyer: Scored 42 runs and steadied the middle overs after some early dismissals.
- Naman Dhir: Made an unbeaten 42 in the latter overs and former India’s opener Aakash Chopra compared his strokes to Hardik Pandya’s.
- Axar Patel: Played a vital role in getting India over the line in the closing overs.
Eight runs were required by New Zealand to defend in the last over, however, due to dew on the pitch, it became hard for the ball to grip and India outperformed them in just two balls. Iyer talked about how the wicket evened up in the second innings post-match.
Scorecard:
- New Zealand: 225 for 4 in 20 overs (Phillips 82*, Allen 45).
- India: 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs (Samson 67, Dhir 42*, Iyer 42).
- Opening partnership: 93 runs in 35 balls of Samson and Abhishek.
- Result: India won by four wickets with two balls to go.
New Zealand will be happy with their batting performance, especially with the way Phillips played and Allen's brisk start, while their bowlers found it tough to defend a large total under the conditions.
On the other hand, India showed depth in their batting and composure in the closing stages of the game. The captaincy of Iyer, which came into question ahead of the game, started off well.
The second T20I of the series will be played on October 24 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. The series will then shift to Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on October 27; Eden Park, Auckland, on October 30; and finally to Seddon Park, Hamilton, on November 1.
All the games will begin at 8 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. IST) and will be telecast live in India by Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV. Five ODIs and two Tests will follow the T20Is.
