Star Indian player Naman Dhir’s crucial knock helped Team India defeat New Zealand by 4 wickets in the first T20IScroll down to read the full story.
Published: October 22, 2026, 6:20 PM IST
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Naman Dhir’s late heroics vs NZ in 1st T20I (Image – BCCI)
IND vs NZ, 1st T20I: The first match of the T20I series between India and New Zealand ended at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on ThursdayShreyas Iyer’s Team India defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets and began the series on a positive note.
The Indian team won the toss and decided to bowl first in this matchThis clash was special for the Indian team as Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his comeback to the Indian team, after four yearsMeanwhile, it was not his day as he bowled 4 overs in the match and conceded 49 runs without any wicket.
While bowling first for New Zealand, the Indian team managed to dismiss their 4 playersArshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel were the players to get wickets in this matchOne New Zealand batter, Bevon Jacobs, was run-out by Arshdeep Singh for 31 runs off 16 balls.
Glenn Philips played a crucial role for New Zealand in this opening clashPhillips scored 82 runs off 40 ballsIn his knock, he smashed 8 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 205New Zealand gave 226 runs target to India to win this first match.
For the Indian team, opening pair Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma started the innings with some impressive boundariesSanju Samson played an important knock for India as he scored 67 runs off 33 balls, including 8 fours and 4 sixes at a strike rate of 203.
In the end, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir played a vital role for India as their impressive shots and crucial runs in the end moments helped India to chase down the total and win the match.
Shreyas Iyer scored 42 runs off 28 balls, including 1 four and 2 sixesMeanwhile, young Indian star, who was recently added to the Indian team, Naman Dhir, showcased a dominating batting performance for India in this opening clash.
Naman Dhir remained unbeaten in the game and displayed a hard-hitting knock, which included 42 runs off 15 ballsIn his innings, he smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes to help his side win this first wicket with 2 balls spare.
Naman Dhir absolutely smokes that one!
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