India beat New Zealand in opening T20 match — Dawn

India's national team defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the first match of the Twenty20 series. India successfully chased a target of 226 runs and finished the match in 19.4 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, Dawn reports.

Record target chase

New Zealand, batting first, scored 225 runs for four wickets. It was their highest total in T20 matches against India on home soil. Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen gave the hosts 65 runs for one wicket in the first six overs. Allen scored 45 runs off 24 balls.

Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 82 runs off 40 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. Bevon Jacobs added 31 runs before being run out. All five Indian bowlers conceded at least 10 runs per over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing an international T20 for the first time in four years, finished with figures of 0-49.

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Contributions from Samson, Iyer and Dhir

India began the chase with an opening partnership of 93 runs between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Samson scored 67 runs off 33 balls, including eight fours and four sixes. After the first six overs, India had 94 runs for one wicket.

New Zealand then quickly dismissed three batters, but Shreyas Iyer scored 42 runs off 28 balls and restored the pace of the chase. Naman Dhir, who remained unbeaten on 42 runs, sealed the match. India captain Iyer noted Dhir's composure in the decisive phase of the game, while New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner acknowledged that his team did not handle the opening overs well. The second match of the series will also take place in Christchurch on Saturday.