Christchurch: India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20I at Hagley Oval on Thursday, 22 October, chasing 226 with Sanju Samson hitting 67 off 33 balls, ESPNcricinfo reported. India reached 230 for 6 with two balls to spare and lead the five match series after the opener.
The ICC described it as India’s highest successful run chase in T20I cricket, and The Times of India also called it a record chase. Samson was named Man of the Match, according to The Indian Express.
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New Zealand post 225 after Phillips blitz
India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field, The Hindu reported. New Zealand made 225 for 4, built around an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls from Glenn Phillips, who hit eight fours and three sixes, according to ESPNcricinfo. The website said it was New Zealand’s highest T20I total against India.
Finn Allen made 45 off 24 and Tim Seifert 24 off 17 at the top, while Daryl Mitchell added 28 and Bevon Jacobs struck 31 off 16 before he was run out, The Hindu reported. New Zealand were 65 for 1 after the six powerplay overs and scored 67 runs off the last 30 balls, the paper said.
India’s attack was without Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested, according to The Hindu. India brought in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav in place of Shivam Dube and Prince Yadav from the side that played the last T20I against the West Indies, the paper said. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing international cricket for the first time in nearly four years, finished with figures of 0 for 49 from four overs. Axar Patel was the most expensive Indian bowler, conceding 51 in four overs, while Mayank removed Seifert and Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mitchell.
Samson and Abhishek set up the India chase
India’s reply began at a furious pace. Samson and Abhishek Sharma put on 93 for the first wicket in just 35 balls, ESPNcricinfo reported, with Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne conceding a combined 48 runs from the third and fourth overs. Samson reached his half century off 23 balls in the sixth over.
Abhishek fell for 29 off 12, caught at short third off Michael Bracewell, and the game turned. India sent in Tilak Varma ahead of Ishan Kishan, the regular No. 3, according to ESPNcricinfo, and Tilak made only 6 off 11 balls before he was out to Bracewell. Samson then played Mitchell Santner onto his stumps, and Santner also had Kishan caught at deep midwicket in the 11th over.
In the space of 22 balls India went from 93 without loss to 122 for 4, ESPNcricinfo said. Bracewell finished with 2 for 37 and Santner 2 for 39.
Iyer, Axar and Dhir help India beat New Zealand
Iyer steadied the innings with 42 off 28 balls. Axar Patel, who came in at No. 6, made 24 off 14 and added 45 off 24 balls with Iyer, according to ESPNcricinfo. Both batters were helped by dropped catches, and the website said the easier chance was missed by Allen at long on when Iyer was on 27.
Iyer was out to a cutter from Milne in the 19th over with India needing 16 off 11 balls, ESPNcricinfo reported. Naman Dhir stayed unbeaten on 42 off 15 balls to take the team home, the website said.
New Zealand did not help themselves in the field. Milne and Ferguson struggled for control and conceded 16 wides, while the hosts also dropped three catches, The Times of India reported. ESPNcricinfo said dew made the ball harder to grip late in the chase, and that Santner, Nathan Smith, Milne and Matt Henry all served up loose deliveries in the closing overs.
What Samson said
Samson said the plan was to go hard in the powerplay despite the swinging ball. “I think mindset really matters. It’s very easy to look at the conditions from two different perspectives. You can say the ball is swinging around so be a bit careful, or you can say the ball is swinging around but have confidence, have the intent to keep your team ahead and take a positive approach. That’s what me and Abhi did,” he told reporters after the match, as quoted by The Indian Express.
Asked about outside talk on his place, he said, “You just have to be in the process. Playing for Indian cricket is not easy. There is a lot of noise happening,” according to the same report.
Phillips points to middle overs
Phillips said New Zealand let chances slip in the middle of the chase. “We’ve got all our plans on the drawing board, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to execute them,” he told the post match press conference, India Today reported.
“We maybe take a couple more wickets in the middle or string a few more dots together and we put them under pressure and they don’t chase it, then it obviously looks slightly different as well,” he said. He also credited India: “You’ve also got to give credit to the chasing side for chasing 226. It’s always a good chase.” On the missed chances, Phillips said, “Catches happen and dropped catches happen, but we need to be counting them properly.”
What comes next in the series
The two teams meet again in the second T20I in Christchurch on Saturday, 24 October, according to the ICC schedule. The third match is in Wellington on 27 October, the fourth in Auckland on 30 October and the fifth in Hamilton on 1 November.
The squads for the tour were picked earlier this month; read our report on India’s squads for the New Zealand tour. India’s women have also been busy, as they beat Zimbabwe to seal their T20I series in Raipur. For background on the game’s long story in the country, see our piece on the history of cricket in India.
FAQ
Who won the first T20I between India and New Zealand?
India won by four wickets at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, chasing 226 with two balls to spare, according to ESPNcricinfo and the ICC.
Who was Man of the Match?
Sanju Samson, for his 67 off 33 balls, The Indian Express reported.
Sources
- ESPNcricinfo, 22 October 2026: match report, scores, opening stand, collapse, dropped catch and the final overs.
- ICC, 22 October 2026: record chase and series schedule.
- The Indian Express, 22 October 2026: Samson quotes and Man of the Match.
- The Hindu, 22 October 2026: toss, team changes, New Zealand innings and bowling figures.
- India Today, 22 October 2026: Glenn Phillips quotes.
- The Times of India, 23 October 2026: wides, dropped catches and record chase.