India Chase 226 to Beat New Zealand by Four Wickets in Record T20 Win

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22, chasing 226 with two balls to spare in the first T20 international of the five-match series. India finished on 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs at Hagley Oval, completing the highest successful run chase in their T20 international history and taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

Phillips lifts New Zealand to 225

New Zealand, put in to bat, made 225 for 4, their biggest T20 score against India on home soil. Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen took the hosts to 65 for 1 in the powerplay, with Allen hitting 45 off 24 balls before Axar Patel removed him.

Glenn Phillips then took charge. He finished unbeaten on 82 off 40 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, and Bevon Jacobs added 31 before he was run out. All five bowlers India used went at 10 runs an over or more. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing his first T20 international in four years after last featuring against New Zealand in 2022, finished with 0 for 49.

Samson and Abhishek blow the chase open

India needed a fast start and got one. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma put on 93 runs for the first wicket, and India reached 94 for 1 in the powerplay. Samson reached his fifty in 23 balls and made 67 off 33, with eight fours and four sixes, before he fell in the ninth over.

New Zealand hit back through the middle overs, removing three batters in quick succession, and the chase stalled. Captain Shreyas Iyer steadied it with 42 off 28 balls. When Iyer fell late, Naman Dhir finished the job with an unbeaten 42, and India crossed the line with two balls left.

Samson said the start had set up the win. Matches can be finished in the first half, he said, pointing to the 90-odd runs India scored in the first six overs.

What it means

The win gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, in a meeting Reuters described as a rematch of the T20 World Cup final. The second T20 is on Saturday, October 24, again in Christchurch, where New Zealand will need a win to stop India taking early control of the series.

For New Zealand, the loss will sting. A total of 225 for 4, built on a record score against India at home, is the kind of total sides expect to defend. For India, the chase showed depth: after the openers and Iyer had done their work, the finish came from Dhir, batting low in the order, with the game still live in the final over.