Tilak at No. 3 misfires, but Samson and Dhir power India past NZ
India opened their New Zealand tour with a four-wicket win in Christchurch on October 22, 2026. They reached 230 for 6 with two balls to spare, chasing 226. The result gives them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The win was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests, and one batting-order call in the middle of the chase is the main talking point.
New Zealand's total came from a strong top and middle order. Finn Allen made 45 off 24 balls before Axar Patel had him caught by Tilak Varma. Glenn Phillips then took over, finishing unbeaten on 82 off just 40 deliveries. A late run-out of Bevon Jacobs and a small cameo from Michael Bracewell took the hosts to 225 for 4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh both went for plenty, and Mayank Yadav, back in the XI after a break, also found it tough going. Nitish Kumar Reddy's return to the side came with an all-round brief that the bowling figures only partly reflect.
India's reply began in whirlwind fashion. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma took on Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne early, and the pair were well ahead of the rate. Abhishek hit 29 off 12 before Bracewell removed him. Samson then reached a fifty and went on to 67 off 33 balls, with eight fours and four sixes. India were 102 for 1 after seven overs, so the target looked well within reach.
**The mistake: Tilak at No. 3**
The next decision is where the chase wobbled. With Abhishek gone, India sent in Tilak Varma, the vice-captain, rather than Ishan Kishan. Kishan is currently ranked the world's top T20I batter, and he had been slotted in at the top of the order. Tilak's record against spin in the middle overs has been a known soft spot. He managed 6 off 11 balls against a New Zealand attack that mixed spin with seam, and he finally holed out to deep midwicket off Bracewell while trying to slog.
The slow innings piled pressure on Samson, who fell to Mitchell Santner soon after. India went from a commanding position to 117 for 3 in 9.3 overs. Former opener Aakash Chopra was among those who questioned the logic of the move. His view was that Tilak had only just settled into a new role lower down, and that the change helped neither him nor Kishan. When Kishan did come in, at No. 5, he lasted three balls and made 1, caught off Santner.
**The second mistake: leaving the middle overs to chance**
The broader problem is that India's batting order looked more fluid than the situation demanded. India had a settled, in-form top three on paper, and a chase with a powerplay surplus did not need a shake-up. Tinkering at that stage made a comfortable chase tense.
**The masterstroke: Axar at six, Dhir at seven**
What rescued India was the way the lower middle order was used. Shreyas Iyer, captaining the side, kept the innings alive with 42 off 28. Axar Patel was held back and sent in at No. 6, and he gave 24 off 14 balls, which kept the required rate manageable. Then Naman Dhir finished the job. He made an unbeaten 42 off only 15 balls, with five fours and two sixes, and he turned a tense finish into a win with balls to spare. Reddy was at the other end, unbeaten on 2.
That sequence is also an argument for depth. India picked a deep line-up, with Dhir at seven and Axar at eight in the original XI. The reward was that a four-wicket loss of momentum in the middle did not become a defeat.
**What it means for India**
India now have four more T20Is to sort out their combinations. The win is valuable, because a 1-0 lead in a five-match series on tour gives them room to experiment. But the Tilak question needs a clear answer. If he is a middle-order finisher against pace, as his lower-order numbers suggest, then using him as a No. 3 against spin is a risk the management will want to avoid repeating. Kishan, at the top of the rankings, is the obvious alternative.
There is also work to do with the ball. Conceding 225 on a good batting surface, with Phillips freely hitting through the line, will worry a side that wants to defend totals as well as chase them. India will want tighter death overs when the teams meet again.