India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the India vs New Zealand 1st T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, 22 October, chasing 226 with two balls to spare. It was India’s highest successful T20I run chase. Sanju Samson made 67 off 33 balls, and Naman Dhir finished the job with 42 not out off 15, hitting the winning six off Matt Henry.
| Result | India won by 4 wickets (2 balls remaining) |
| New Zealand | 225/4 (20 overs) |
| India | 230/6 (19.4 overs) |
| Top scorers | Glenn Phillips 82* (40), Sanju Samson 67 (33) |
| Toss | India chose to bowl |
| Venue | Hagley Oval, Christchurch, 22 October 2026 |
| Series | India lead 1-0 (five matches) |
New Zealand’s innings: Phillips makes 82 not out
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl, and New Zealand made India pay. Finn Allen hit 45 off 24 balls at the top, and Glenn Phillips took over in the middle with an unbeaten 82 off 40. Bevon Jacobs (31 off 16), Daryl Mitchell (28 off 19) and Tim Seifert (24 off 17) all chipped in, and New Zealand finished on 225 for 4.
India’s bowlers struggled. Arshdeep Singh (1 for 45), Mayank Yadav (1 for 40) and Axar Patel (1 for 51) took a wicket each, and Arshdeep also ran out Jacobs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went wicketless for 49 in his four overs and was hit on the wrist.
India vs New Zealand 1st T20I: how India chased 226
Abhishek Sharma gave the chase a fast start with 29 off 12 balls, and Samson kept it going with 67 off 33. New Zealand did not help themselves: a wayward over from Lockie Ferguson, extras and some sloppy fielding all gave India runs.
India still had a wobble. Mitchell Santner removed Samson in the ninth over, and India slipped to 122 for 4. Iyer (42 off 28) and Axar (24 off 14) rebuilt, and when both fell, Dhir took over. He hit 42 not out off 15 balls and ended the match with a six in the final over.
India’s 230 for 6 beat their previous best T20I chase of 209.
What it means for the series
India lead the five-match series 1-0. The result follows a 2-2 home series against West Indies, in which India’s bowlers kept conceding 200 or more, and the same problem showed again here: New Zealand made 225. This time the batting covered it.
Read how the West Indies series ended in our India vs West Indies T20I series review, and see every fixture and IST start time on our India tour of New Zealand 2026 page.
Next match
| Match | Date | Venue | IST start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd T20I | Saturday, 24 October | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 12:30 pm |
Published 22 October 2026. Sources: IANS, NewsDrum and ESPNcricinfo.
