India pulled off the highest successful run chase in their men's T20I history on Thursday, hunting down New Zealand's imposing 225 for 4 with two balls and four wickets to spare in the first T20I of the five-match series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The win, sealed in 19.4 overs, eclipsed the 211 they had chased against Sri Lanka back in 2009 and gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in a contest that swung wildly from one side to the other.
Set a target of 226 by a Glenn Phillips-inspired New Zealand, India looked out of the contest at one stage after a middle-order collapse, before captain Shreyas Iyer's calm 42 off 28 balls and Naman Dhir's breathless unbeaten 42 off 15 deliveries dragged them across the line in front of a stunned home crowd.
India's reply could hardly have started better. Chasing at more than 11 an over, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma attacked from the first ball, racing to 42 without loss in three overs as Lockie Ferguson leaked runs, including five wides.
Samson, in outstanding touch this year, brought up his half-century off just 23 balls — his eighth fifty-plus score in 26 innings in 2026 — and India finished the powerplay on a commanding 94 for 1, with the two openers having added 93 in a blur of boundaries.
Then, quite suddenly, the match turned. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner introduced spin and the chase fell apart in a matter of overs. Samson, having hammered eight fours and four sixes in his 67 off 33 balls, mistimed one and departed to Santner.
In the very next over, Michael Bracewell removed the struggling Tilak Varma for 6, and when Ishan Kishan fell cheaply for 1 to Santner, India had lost three wickets for seven runs and slipped from 93 for no loss to 122 for 4 in the 11th over. The long boundaries at Hagley Oval had a say too, with both Tilak and Kishan perishing while trying to clear the ropes.
With the required rate climbing and the New Zealand spinners tightening their grip — the 42 balls after the powerplay yielded only 52 runs — India needed composure. They found it in an unhurried partnership between Axar Patel and captain Shreyas Iyer, who rebuilt patiently and kept the asking rate within reach. Axar struck a useful 24 before falling to Ferguson, and India were five down with the finish line still distant.
Iyer, who had won the toss earlier and chosen to chase, was batting beautifully at the other end, guiding the innings towards what looked like a famous win. But with two overs left, Adam Milne had him caught for 42, and the pressure swung back to New Zealand.
That is when Naman Dhir produced one of the finest finishes seen in an India shirt. Having already taken the attack to Santner — smashing a boundary and a six off the best bowler of the night to drag the required rate below 10 — Dhir took complete charge of the closing overs.
The right-hander struck five fours and two sixes in his 15-ball stay, and with India needing runs off the last over, he ended the argument in emphatic style, launching a mighty six to seal a four-wicket victory with two deliveries remaining.
Samson, named Player of the Match, set the entire chase up with his 33-ball 67, but Dhir's late assault ensured that one of India's great T20I wins was not frittered away.
Earlier, New Zealand had posted what looked like a match-winning total after being asked to bat. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert gave the hosts a flying start, racing to 65 for 1 in the powerplay. Allen smashed 45 off 24 balls before falling to Axar Patel, while Mayank Yadav dismissed Seifert for 24.
Daryl Mitchell added 28 off 19 — surviving a straightforward dropped catch by Abhishek Sharma that proved costly as he struck back-to-back boundaries — before Arshdeep Singh removed him. But the innings belonged to Glenn Phillips, who produced a masterclass in finishing.
The New Zealand middle-order batter hammered an unbeaten 82 off just 40 balls, adding a 73-run stand with the debutant Bevon Jacobs, who contributed a brisk 31 off 16 before being run out by a brilliant piece of fielding from Arshdeep, who kicked the ball onto the stumps from his feet.
Phillips struck relentlessly through the middle and death overs, taking on Axar, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank alike, as New Zealand plundered 67 runs in the last five overs to finish on 225 for 4 — their highest-ever T20I total at home and their joint-highest against India.
India's bowling had a familiar look of struggle. Arshdeep, Mayank and Axar picked up a wicket each, but all five bowlers used conceded at least ten runs an over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to international cricket after four years was a difficult one: he went wicketless for 49 runs, needed attention from the physio after taking a blow on the wrist, and was hammered on his return overs despite finding some early swing.
The defeat will hurt New Zealand, who had done everything right for long stretches of the match and still finished on the wrong side of history. For India, the chase was a statement of the depth and audacity of their batting.
Three different players produced match-turning knocks in a single innings — Samson's demolition at the top, Iyer's anchor in the middle, and Dhir's explosion at the death — and each was needed to complete the highest successful chase in the country's T20I history.
The win also continued Samson's remarkable 2026, in which he has been India's most consistent T20 batter, and offered further evidence of the team's new leadership direction under Shreyas Iyer, who backed his bowlers at the toss and then led the recovery from the front with the bat.
With the series opener decided in the penultimate over of the match, the two sides stay in Christchurch for the second T20I at Hagley Oval on Saturday, where New Zealand will look to level the series and India will aim to press home their advantage.
(Reporting based on Hindustan Times and PTI.)