India held their nerve when it mattered the most to clinch the first T20I by four wickets at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Impactful knocks from Skipper Shreyas and Naman Dhir towards the latter end along with Player of the Match Samson’s half ton put India on the front foot.   

Kiwi carnage in the first 10 overs…

New Zealand came out all guns blazing as the batters stamped their authority over India. The Black Caps found the boundaries with ease and ensured the bowlers had little room to breathe. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen looked dangerous in the middle as they stitched 49 runs opening stand. Mayank Yadav struck at the correct moment to grab the wicket of Seifert (24). Allen, on the other hand was caught by Tilak Varma at long off on 45(24). At the 10 overs mark, the Kiwis were 98/2.

Glenn packs a punch, with a fiery half ton

Glenn Phillips shifted gears and made his presence felt with a commanding half century, keeping the New Zealand scoreboard ticking with plenty of runs. He found the right moments to attack and dispatched the loose deliveries out of the park. After finding his rhythm early on, he played the anchors role in the middle. En route, he stitched 73 runs partnership along with Bevon Jacobs who also contributed a cameo knock of 31(16). Phillips remained unbeaten till the end with 82 in 40 balls, which included eight fours and three sixes.

New Zealand ended with 225/4 in their 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel picked a wicket each.

Samson strikes gold with a flamboyant half century

Sanju Samson brought the fireworks, unleashing a blistering half century to keep India’s charge alive. Each shot carried intent while he injected fresh momentum into the innings. Sanju was at his best in the middle, disrupting New Zealand’s plans. He ensured India was comfortably placed at 94/1 in the powerplay. Sanju perished on 67(33), aced with eight fours and four sixes.

New Zealand strike back during the middle overs

India faced a tricky situation during the middle overs phase as they quickly stumbled from 115/2 to 167/5. Just when it looked India had the upper hand, the Kiwis kept striking at regular intervals not allowing the Indian batters to free their arms.

Shreyas-Naman keep fighting till the end, help India win

Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front and stood like a rock for India, taking his chances and shifting gears when necessary. He was ably supported by Naman Dhir at the other end. They grabbed 19 crucial runs off the 17th over bowled by Santner, which proved to be the turning point of the contest. The game went down to the wire, with the Men in Blue needing 16 runs of 12 balls. A twist was waiting in the wings, as Shreyas went out on 42(28). With eight runs to get in the final over, Naman 42*(15) took on the charge…hitting the winning runs with a maximum as the Men in Blue won by four wickets.

Brief Scores

New Zealand: 225/4 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 82*, Finn Allen 45; Mayank Yadav 1/40) lost to India: 230/6 in 19.4 overs (Sanju Samson 67, Naman Dhir 42*, Shreyas Iyer 42; Michael Bracewell 2/37) by four wickets.