Naman Dhir walked in with India wobbling and walked out with a record. The all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 42 off 15 balls as India hunted down 226 against New Zealand in the first T20I at Christchurch on Thursday, winning by four wickets with two balls to spare. His knock is the highest score by an Indian batting at No. 7 or lower in a successful T20I chase, and it carried India to their highest-ever successful chase in the format.
Dhir struck at 280, hitting five fours and two sixes. India had raced to 93 for 1 through the openers before New Zealand dragged the game back in the middle overs, and the required rate was climbing when Naman Dhir took guard. He went after the bowling from the start, finding the boundary at regular intervals, and by the time the chase was done the game had tilted India’s way. NDTV Sports called it the turning point of the match.
The previous record had belonged to Irfan Pathan for 17 years. Pathan’s unbeaten 33 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2009 came in what was then India’s highest successful T20I chase. Naman Dhir passed the mark in fewer than half the balls and kept going until the winning runs were hit.
New Zealand had posted 225 for 4 in their 20 overs, and the total looked enough for much of the evening. India answered with 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs, a new benchmark at a ground where no side had chased more than 177 before Thursday.
How India hunted down 226
The chase was set up by Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who put on 93 for the first wicket. Samson made 67 off 33 balls with eight fours and four sixes, while Abhishek hit 29 off 12 with two fours and three sixes. From 93 for 1, India slipped to 122 for 4 as New Zealand’s bowlers tightened their grip. Shreyas Iyer, leading the side, made 42 off 28 balls, and Axar Patel added 24 off 14 with three fours and a six in a 45-run stand that brought the target back into reach. Iyer and Dhir then finished the job together.
What Shreyas Iyer said about Naman Dhir
Speaking after the match, Iyer praised the composure Dhir showed under pressure. “He gives us a lot of options, especially for lefty batsmen, or even the right-handers batting, especially on this ground, coming in and bowling those two-three crucial overs actually can change the momentum,” the captain said. “And I personally feel that the calm and composed nature that he showed today, it was simply magnificent to see him bat.”
Naman Dhir’s finishing numbers
The numbers back up the faith. Across five T20I innings, Naman Dhir has scored 80 runs at an average of 40.00 and a strike rate of 285.71, with 42 not out his best score. His record in the closing overs is just as strong. In overs 16 to 20 in T20 cricket, he has scored 341 runs off 167 balls at a strike rate of 204.19, with 34 fours and 19 sixes, and has been dismissed 10 times in that phase. It was also Naman Dhir’s best score in the format, in only his fifth T20I innings.
Dhir offers the captain a bowling option as well as the late-order hitting, which is why Iyer pointed to the overs he can bowl as part of his value to the side. With India chasing big totals and defending them in equal measure on this tour, that two-way contribution is likely to keep Naman Dhir in the XI through the series.
For New Zealand, the defeat stung because their bowlers had dragged the game back at 122 for 4 and looked set to defend 225. Naman Dhir’s assault in the closing overs took it away, and India now carry a 1-0 lead into the second game at the same ground.
The series ahead
India lead the five-match series 1-0. The second T20I is also at Christchurch on October 24, starting 12:30 PM IST, before the teams move to Wellington on October 27 and Auckland on October 30.