Dhir finishes India's 226 chase to beat New Zealand in Christchurch

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the opening Twenty20 international at Hagley Oval on Thursday, reaching 230 for six with two balls remaining after being set 226. Naman Dhir finished unbeaten on 42 from 15 deliveries, while Sanju Samson made 67 from 33. The Indian Express reported that the victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

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Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave the chase an opening partnership of 93 before Sharma fell for 29 from 12 balls. Michael Bracewell removed Sharma, but New Zealand needed further wickets to slow India's progress. Samson was subsequently bowled by Mitchell Santner, and the dismissals of Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan in the following two overs brought the hosts back into the contest.

New Zealand Cricket's scorecard records India at 122 for four after 10.3 overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer helped rebuild the innings, making 42 from 28 balls, while Axar Patel contributed 24 from 14. Iyer and Patel added 45 for the fifth wicket, followed by a 43-run partnership between Iyer and Dhir. Those stands took India to 210 before Iyer became the sixth batter dismissed.

Dhir then completed the chase alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy, who remained unbeaten on two. His innings included five fours and two sixes, with the winning six coming from the fourth ball of Matt Henry's final over, according to The Indian Express. Henry finished without a wicket for 57 runs, while Bracewell and Santner each took two wickets. Samson was named player of the match.

Earlier, Glenn Phillips led New Zealand to 225 for four after India elected to field. He remained unbeaten on 82 from 40 balls, supported by Finn Allen's 45 and Bevon Jacobs' 31. Phillips and Jacobs shared a fourth-wicket stand of 73. Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Patel took one wicket apiece, while Jacobs was run out.

Iyer said conditions had become better for batting as the evening progressed, with dew helping the ball come onto the bat, The Indian Express reported. He also credited India's opening pair with establishing the platform for the chase, before the middle order recovered from the loss of three wickets in consecutive overs.