Sanju Samson maintained his remarkable consistency this calendar year with a sublime 67 off 33 balls as India pulled off their highest chase in T20 cricket, overcoming a mid-innings stumble for a four-wicket win in the series-opener against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday. Put in to bat, Finn Allen (45 off 24) and Glenn Phillips (82 not out off 40) fired New Zealand to a steep 225/8, highlighting India’s struggles with the ball. Eventually, cameos from captain Shreyas Iyer (42) and Naman Dhir (42 not out off 15) helped India get over the line in a tense chase with two balls to spare.
However, Samson ensured a flying start for the visitors before a middle overs collapse made the game interesting.
Sanju Samson maintained his remarkable consistency this calendar year with a sublime 67 off 33 balls as India pulled off their highest chase in T20 cricket, overcoming a mid-innings stumble for a four-wicket win in the series-opener against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday.
The game looked as good as done with India racing to 94 for one in the powerplay. Finn Allen dropped a tough catch in the 15th over, leaving India to get 55 runs off the last 30 balls with five wickets to spare. However, the visiting team faltered against the home spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell in the middle overs, losing three wickets for seven runs to spice up the contest. Following the middle overs slip, Shreyas took the game deep and also had luck going his way. Allen then tore into Arshdeep, giving the hosts much-needed momentum in the powerplay. The openers’ ability to pick boundaries on the off-side stood out.
The second T20 of the five-match series will also be played at the Hagley Oval on Saturday.
