Delivering a jaw-dropping performance, India’s in-form star Sanju Samson whacked a scintillating half-century to inspire India to a four-wicket win over New Zealand in a gripping first T20I on Thursday at hagley Oval. Chasing a target of 226, India got off to a glorious start, with openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma playing major innings of 67 and 29, respectively. Despite a brilliant start, India tripped a bit following quick dismissals of Tilak Varma (6) and Ishan Kishan (1).
However, Shreyas Iyer smartly handled the things, rebuilding the innings with a much-needed 42 off 28. Axar Patel too made an immediate impact, slamming 24 off 14 with the help of three boundaries and one six. Down the order, Naman Dhir played the lone hand in helping India chase down the target in 19.4 overs with an extraordinary unbeaten 42 off 15.
Earlier, when asked to bat, New Zealand posted a total of 225/4 in 20 overs. Their innings was built around Glenn Phillips’ unbeaten 82 and Finn Allen’s 45. Phillips was the standout performer for New Zealand, smashing eight fours and three sixes to remain the side’s top-scoring batter.
Tim Seifert (24) Daryl Mitchell (28) and Devon Jacobs (31) also played little cameos to further boost the team’s total. In the bowling attack for India, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav shared one wicket each to keep New Zealand under some pressure.