Star Indian player Naman Dhir reacts to his incredible batting performance and last-moment heroics against New Zealand in the first T20I clash.
Published: October 23, 2026, 4:54 PM IST
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Naman Dhir opens up on his impressive knock vs NZ in 1st T20I (Image – BCCI)
Shreyas Iyer’s Team India played the first match of the T20I series against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on ThursdayThe visitors displayed their impressive performance, which helped them to seal the first match of the series by 4 wickets.
The Indian batters displayed their incredible batting performance in this match as they managed to dominate New Zealand’s bowling lineup at the beginning, while chasing a big total of 226 runs.
At the beginning of the match, Indian openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave an explosive start to the team’s inningsBoth batters helped their side to add good runs on the board with their attacking approachSpeaking about their innings, Sanju Samson scored 67 runs off 33 balls, including 8 fours and 4 sixes.
Abhishek Sharma faced 12 balls in his innings, where he managed to score 29 runs off 12 balls, including 2 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 241.
To chase down this big total, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and star player Naman Dhir also played a crucial role for India in the opening T20I clashShreyas Iyer scored 42 runs off 28 balls, including 1 four and 2 sixes.
On the other hand, Naman Dhir played a spectacular innings for India at a crucial momentThe team needed many runs in the last over, where Naman Dhir came as a savior and showcased his attacking approach by smashing impressive boundaries.
In his innings, Naman Dhir faced 15 balls, where he scored 42 runs, including 5 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 280His last moment heroics helped India team to finish by 4 wickets with 2 balls spare.
Here’s what Naman Dhir said about his classic knock for India in the first T20I series“Winning a game for India is obviously a proud feeling, and especially since I am still young and new to the team, so it is very satisfyingAnd Gautam sir also talked about it in the dressing room: if you set the tone right from the beginning, it helps you further alongSo I guess it is a very good win for all of us.”
Naman Dhir also added that it was colder in New Zealand as compared to IndiaAlso, he said he was hitting the ball very well in the first T20I match.
“I just wanted to continue on the pitchAnd I guess T20 games, white-ball, are situationalThere the situation was different (in the rain-curtailed T20I against West Indies at home where he smacked a quickfire 24*); there you could go and hit a six right away, but here it was a bit differentSo I was trying to adapt my game accordingly,” he said.
