India started the much-awaited New Zealand tour with a great victory in the first T20I of the five-match series, as India recorded their highest successful T20I chase at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
After India chose to field first, the hosts scored 225/4 in 20 overs. The opener Finn Allen scored 45 off 24 balls (five fours and two sixes), while the no.4 batter Glenn Phillips scored 82 not out off 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes.
In reply, Indian openers provided a powerful start, as Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma set a 93-run partnership for the first wicket in just 5.5 overs. While Sharma scored 29 off 12 balls (two fours and three sixes), Samson slammed 67 off 33 balls with eight fours and four sixes.
Although India were once struggling at 122/4, losing three wickets for only seven runs, captain Shreyas Iyer (42 off 28 balls; one four and two sixes) and Axar Patel (24 off 14 balls; three fours and one six) controlled the innings, before Naman Dhir finished in a stormy style with 42 not out off 15 balls (five fours and two sixes).
New Zealand cricketer Glenn Phillips scored 82 not out off 40 balls.
Phillips scored his 14th T20I fifty+ score (including two centuries) as a non-top-order batter (from no.4 to lower). Only Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav is ahead of Phillips in the list of the most T20I 50+ scores as a non-top-order batter (from no.4 to lower), as the former Indian T20I captain has recorded it 21 times (including three centuries). Former Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell and former Irish-English cricketer Eoin Morgan also recorded 14 T20I 50+ scores as the non-top-order batters.
New Zealand scored 225/4 in 20 overs
It was the joint-highest T20I total for New Zealand against India, previously scoring 225 all out (19.4 overs) at Thiruvananthapuram early this year.
It was the second-highest T20I total for any hosts against India. The record is 257/3 (20 overs) by England in Southampton this year.
It was the joint sixth-highest T20I total for New Zealand.
It was the joint seventh-highest T20I total for any team against India.
India chased down the 226-run target in 19.4 overs after losing six wickets (230/6).
It was India’s highest successful T20I chase. Their previous record was chasing the 209-run target twice (vs Australia at Visakhapatnam in 2023 and vs New Zealand at Raipur in 2026).
It was the second-highest successful T20I chase for any team against New Zealand. The record is chasing a 244-run target (245/5 in 18.3 overs) by Australia at Auckland in 2018. Similarly, it was also the second-highest successful T20I chase for any team in New Zealand.
It was the joint eighth-highest successful chase in T20I history.