Samson's 23-ball fifty sets up India's record T20I chase of 226 in Christchurch

India have a new best in T20 International chases. They hunted down 226 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, beating New Zealand by four wickets with two balls to spare. The match was a rematch of the T20 World Cup final, and the result gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The chase was finished at 230 for six in 19.4 overs. It went past India's previous best of 209, which they had managed against Australia in Visakhapatnam in 2023 and against New Zealand in Raipur earlier this year.

The night began with a bowling problem for India. Shreyas Iyer's side won the toss and chose to field, hoping the late dew would help in the second innings. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert took New Zealand to 65 for one after the powerplay. Allen made 45 off 24 balls before Axar Patel removed him in the eighth over.

Glenn Phillips then took over, finishing on 82 not out from 40 balls. He cut and pulled the seamers and ended the innings with a switch hit over cover. New Zealand's 225 for four was the joint-highest total ever made against India and their own highest at home. Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh took one wicket each, and the attack was costly for much of the innings.

India's reply began far faster. Samson and Abhishek Sharma added 93 for the first wicket, and India reached 94 for one at the end of the powerplay. That is more than New Zealand's score at the same stage, and India got there inside four overs. Abhishek hit the last ball of the first over for six, his record seventh first-ball six in T20Is. He made 29 off 12 balls before Michael Bracewell got him.

Samson reached 50 in 23 balls and was bowled by Mitchell Santner in the ninth over. His 67 came off 33 balls and included eight fours and four sixes. The knock was the second-highest T20I score by an Indian in New Zealand, behind only Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 111 in 2022. It was also his eighth score of fifty or more in 26 innings this year. One of his sixes was India's 350th of the year in T20Is, the most by any team in a calendar year.

The chase then wobbled. Santner and Bracewell bowled tightly through the middle overs, and India lost three wickets for seven runs. From 93 without loss they were 122 for four in the 11th over. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma were both out trying to clear the long boundaries.

Iyer steadied things. As captain, he found boundaries when the asking rate climbed, and he made 42 off 28 balls before he was caught in the 19th over. By then the equation was manageable but tense, and New Zealand had also been penalised for a slow over rate.

Naman Dhir settled it. He hit an unbeaten 42 off 15 balls, with five fours and two sixes. India needed eight from the last over, and he drove a full toss from Matt Henry for four to bring them close. The winning runs followed.

For India, the win shows how deep and fearless the batting is, and it also shows the middle overs remain a weak spot. Spin has now twice slowed an otherwise explosive start in this format. The bowling will need work as well. Conceding 225 at home-side venues is a risk that will not always be rescued by dew and a top-order blitz.

Samson's form carries extra meaning after the World Cup. He scored 89 in the final in Ahmedabad in March, a tournament in which he also had a run of three straight scores of 80 or more. Starting this series with another fast fifty keeps that momentum going.

The second T20I is at the same ground on Saturday. India will want a tighter bowling display. New Zealand will look to cut down the extras and wayward overs that let India run away early.