T20

NZ vs IND 1st T20I 2026: Samson 67, India Chase 226 to Win

Published on October 22, 2026

Summary Overview: India beat New Zealand by 4 wickets in the 1st T20I at Hagley Oval, chasing 226 with two balls left. Sanju Samson hit 67 off 33, and Naman Dhir finished with 42* off 15. Glenn Phillips made 82* for New Zealand.

Who won? India, by 4 wickets with two balls to spare. They chased 226 to finish on 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

Who starred? Sanju Samson smashed 67 off 33 balls and was Player of the Match. Naman Dhir finished it with 42 not out off 15. For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips hit 82 not out off 40.

What does it mean? India lead the five-match series 1-0.

When is the next match? Saturday, October 24, again at Hagley Oval, at 8:00 PM local time (12:30 PM IST, 12:00 PM PKT).

Match Report: A Run-Fest in Christchurch

455 runs were scored in a little under 40 overs in the series opener, and it went right down to the final over.

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 International (T20I), each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). A team wins by wickets when it chases down the target with batters still to come. A target of 226 is very big in T20 cricket, so this was a special chase.

New Zealand's Innings: Phillips Explodes

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl. New Zealand made a fast start, with 65 for 1 in the powerplay (the first six overs, when only two fielders may stand outside the inner circle). Finn Allen hit 45 off 24 before Axar Patel removed him.

Glenn Phillips then took over. He and Bevon Jacobs (31 off 16, three sixes) added 73 off 32 balls, and Phillips finished unbeaten on 82 off 40 with eight fours and three sixes. New Zealand reached 225 for 4. All five of India's bowlers went for at least 10 runs an over.

India's Chase: Samson's Blitz, Then a Wobble

India's openers went even harder. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma (29 off 12, three sixes) put on 93 off 35 balls, and India scored 94 for 1 in the powerplay, 29 more than New Zealand.

Then New Zealand struck back. Michael Bracewell removed Abhishek, and captain Mitchell Santner bowled Samson for 67 off 33, with eight fours and four sixes. Bracewell also had Tilak Varma caught, and Santner removed Ishan Kishan. India slipped from 93 for 0 to 122 for 4.

Shreyas Iyer steadied things with 42 off 28, adding 45 with Axar Patel (24 off 14). But when Adam Milne removed Iyer at 210 for 6, India still needed 16 from 11 balls.

Turning Point: Naman Dhir's Finish

With the pressure on, Naman Dhir stayed calm. He had already added 43 off 22 balls with Iyer, and he saw India home with 42 not out off just 15 balls, including five fours and two sixes. India won with two balls to spare.

New Zealand will also look at their 16 wides, which gave India extra runs and extra balls in a chase that came down to the last over.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Sanju Samson (wk)	India	67 (33), 8 fours, 4 sixes, Player of the Match
Naman Dhir	India	*42 (15)**, 5 fours, 2 sixes
Shreyas Iyer (c)	India	42 (28)
Abhishek Sharma	India	29 (12), 3 sixes
Glenn Phillips	New Zealand	*82 (40)**, 8 fours, 3 sixes
Finn Allen	New Zealand	45 (24)
Bevon Jacobs	New Zealand	31 (16), 3 sixes
Michael Bracewell	New Zealand	2 for 37 (4 overs)
Mitchell Santner (c)	New Zealand	2 for 39 (4 overs)

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
New Zealand powerplay	65 for 1
Phillips and Jacobs stand	73 off 32 balls for the 4th wicket
New Zealand final total	225 for 4 (20 overs)
India powerplay	94 for 1
Samson and Abhishek stand	93 off 35 balls
New Zealand fight back	93 for 0 to 122 for 4
Iyer out	210 for 6, needing 16 off 11
India win	230 for 6 (19.4 overs)

Innings Comparison

Phase	New Zealand	India
Powerplay (overs 1 to 6)	65 for 1	94 for 1
Total	225 for 4	230 for 6 (19.4 overs)
Wides received	6	16

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
New Zealand	Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson
India	Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav

Bench: New Zealand: Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner. India: Prince Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

What's Next

Match	Date	Venue	Local (NZDT)	IST	Pakistan	ET
2nd T20I	Sat, Oct 24	Hagley Oval, Christchurch	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 AM
3rd T20I	Tue, Oct 27	Sky Stadium, Wellington	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 AM
4th T20I	Fri, Oct 30	Eden Park, Auckland	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	3:00 AM
5th T20I	Sun, Nov 1	Seddon Park, Hamilton	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	2:00 AM

Local time is New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT, UTC+13). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). Pakistan is on PKT (UTC+5). ET is US Eastern Time: Daylight Time (UTC-4) until November 1, then Standard Time (UTC-5), so the 5th T20I starts at 2:00 AM ET. In the UK, the 2nd T20I starts at 8:00 AM (BST), and the rest at 7:00 AM (GMT) after the clocks go back on October 25.

The tour continues with five ODIs from November 4 and two Tests from November 19.