New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- India survived a middle-order collapse to pull off a nervy four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, chasing down a target of 226 with two balls to spare, and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series on Thursday.
Sanju Samson's explosive half-century gave the visitors a flying start before Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir stepped up to seal the win after the hosts fought back through their spinners.
New Zealand had earlier posted 225 for four after being put in to bat, their highest T20I total against India, with Glenn Phillips smashing an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls and Finn Allen providing an aggressive start with 45 off 24 deliveries.
Allen struck boundaries...