India's record chase in Christchurch: Samson and Naman Dhir win it, but was Tilak Varma at No. 3 the right call?

India needed 226 to win in Christchurch on Thursday. They had never chased that many in a T20I. They got there with two balls to spare, when Naman Dhir hit Matt Henry for six in the final over, and India now lead the five-match series 1-0.

It was not a smooth chase. India were 93 for 1 after less than six overs, then 122 for 4 in the 11th. How they got from there to 230 is the story of this match, and so is the decision that started the wobble: sending Tilak Varma in at No. 3 instead of Ishan Kishan.

IND vs NZ 1st T20I: the scores

• New Zealand 225/4 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 82* off 40, Finn Allen 45 off 24, Bevon Jacobs 31 off 16; Mayank Yadav 1/40, Arshdeep Singh 1/45, Axar Patel 1/51)
• India 230/6 in 19.4 overs (Sanju Samson 67 off 33, Shreyas Iyer 42 off 28, Naman Dhir 42* off 15, Abhishek Sharma 29 off 12; Michael Bracewell 2/37, Mitchell Santner 2/39)
• Result: India won by 4 wickets with 2 balls to spare. India lead the series 1-0.
• Toss: India won the toss and chose to bowl.

India's highest successful T20I chase

The target of 226 is the biggest India have ever chased down in a T20I. Their previous best was 209, which they managed twice: against Australia in Visakhapatnam in 2023, and against New Zealand in Raipur in January this year.

It is also India's highest chase in New Zealand. The previous best there was the 204 they chased at Eden Park, Auckland in January 2020, when Shreyas Iyer finished the job with an unbeaten 58. Iyer, now the captain, was there again on Thursday with 42.

To be accurate about the wider record: it is not the highest chase ever made in New Zealand. That belongs to Australia, who made 245 for 5 to beat New Zealand at Eden Park in February 2018, a chase that was a world record at the time. But for India, at home or away, nothing tops Thursday.

How New Zealand got to 225

New Zealand were going well without being out of control for most of the innings. Seifert and Allen put on 49 in five overs, and Daryl Mitchell helped take them to 122 for 3 in the 13th over.

Then Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs added 73 off just 32 balls. Phillips reached 82 not out off 40 balls with eight fours and three sixes, and New Zealand scored 103 runs after losing their third wicket in the 13th over. Jacobs hit three sixes in his 31 off 16 before Arshdeep ran him out.

The chase: fast start, sudden wobble, strong finish

Samson and Abhishek put on 93 for the first wicket in 5.5 overs. Abhishek hit three sixes in his 12-ball 29 before he was caught off Bracewell. At that point India needed 133 off 85 balls, which is about nine an over. They were well ahead.

Then came the slide:

• 93/1: Abhishek out, Tilak Varma in at No. 3
• 115/2: Samson bowled by Santner for 67
• 117/3: Tilak caught off Bracewell for 6 off 11 balls
• 122/4: Ishan Kishan, batting at No. 5, caught off Santner for 1 off 3 balls

India had lost three wickets for 7 runs, and needed 104 off 57 balls with six wickets left. That is almost 11 an over against Santner and Bracewell, the two bowlers who were keeping things tight.

Iyer rebuilt it. He and Axar Patel, promoted to No. 6, added 45 in four overs. When Axar fell at 167, India still needed 59 off 33. Naman Dhir came in and took over. He and Iyer added 43 in 22 balls, and after Iyer was caught at 210, Dhir finished it with Nitish Kumar Reddy. India needed 16 off 11 balls at that point. Dhir's six off Henry in the 20th over ended it.

Who did well for India

Sanju Samson, 67 off 33 - The innings that made the target look possible. Samson reached fifty in 23 balls and hit eight fours and four sixes. With Abhishek he took 93 off the first 35 balls, which meant India were never behind the rate, even after the collapse.

Naman Dhir, 42* off 15 - This was the match-winning innings. Dhir came in at 167 for 5 with 59 needed off 33 balls, which is the kind of situation where chases often fall apart. He struck at 280, hit five fours and two sixes, and finished the game himself. Players batting at No. 7 rarely get this much responsibility in a record chase, and he handled it.

Shreyas Iyer, 42 off 28 - Not his most explosive innings, but the most important one in the middle. Iyer was at the crease from 115 for 2 until 210 for 6, through the collapse, and put on two partnerships of more than 40. It was the captain's innings India needed.

Axar Patel, 24 off 14 - The move to send Axar in at No. 6, ahead of Dhir and Nitish, worked. As a left-hander he broke up Santner and Bracewell's rhythm and helped get India moving again after 122 for 4.

Mayank Yadav, 1/40 - On a night when every Indian bowler went at 10 an over or more, Mayank was the best of them. He took the first wicket, Seifert caught behind by Samson in the fifth over.

Arshdeep Singh, 1/45 and a run-out - Arshdeep removed Daryl Mitchell and ran out Jacobs, which ended the stand that was taking New Zealand towards 240. He now needs four more wickets to become the first Indian man to 150 T20I wickets.

Where India struggled

The bowling. New Zealand made 225, and all five Indian bowlers conceded 40 or more in their four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's long-awaited comeback did not go to plan: 0 for 49 in four overs, his first T20I for India since November 2022. Axar went for 51.

India's one consolation is that New Zealand's bowlers had it worse. Matt Henry conceded 57 in 3.4 overs and Adam Milne 43 in three. New Zealand also bowled 16 wides, while India gave away only 8 extras in total. In a game decided with two balls left, that difference mattered.

Why did Tilak Varma bat at No. 3?

Ishan Kishan batted at No. 3 in every match of the West Indies series. When Abhishek was out in the sixth over, Tilak walked out instead, Iyer came in at No. 4, and Ishan dropped to No. 5.

Neither Iyer nor the team management explained the change after the match. The most common explanation offered was the left-right combination: with the right-handed Samson at the crease, India wanted a left-hander. But that does not really explain it, because Ishan is left-handed too.

A more likely reason is the match-up. New Zealand had their two spinners, Bracewell (off-spin) and Santner (left-arm spin), ready for the overs after the powerplay. In the West Indies series, Ishan was dismissed twice by the off-spinner Roston Chase. India may have wanted Tilak, who is generally the better player of spin, to handle those middle overs, and to keep Ishan for later.

That is our reading. India have not confirmed it.

Was it a good move?

On the evidence of Thursday, no.

Tilak made 6 off 11 balls at a time when India were chasing at nine an over and had all the momentum. He was caught off Bracewell, the off-spinner the move was meant to counter. Ishan then walked in at 117 for 3, in the 10th over, with both spinners on and the required rate rising. He lasted three balls.

Ishan had earned the No. 3 spot. Against West Indies he scored 153 runs from 80 balls at No. 3, averaging 38 with a strike rate of 191, and he got starts in four of his five innings. Tilak did well too, but he did it lower down: 122 runs from 65 balls in the middle order, including 44 not out off 18 in Ranchi and 43 off 25 in Hyderabad. Both players were doing their jobs in their usual spots. Changing both at once, in the first match of a new series and with a big chase on, unsettled two batters who were in form.

It is fair to say that one game is not enough to judge a plan. If India are thinking long term about how to handle spin in the middle overs, Tilak at No. 3 may be something they try again. But the change cost India momentum, and they were lucky that Samson's start, Iyer's calm and Dhir's finish covered it. Our view is that Ishan should get No. 3 back for the 2nd T20I, with Tilak at No. 5, where he has been more effective.

What comes next

The 2nd T20I is at the same ground, Hagley Oval in Christchurch, on Saturday, 24 October, at 12:30 PM IST. It will be live on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV in India.

The questions for India are the batting order at No. 3 and whether Bhuvneshwar keeps his place after a costly comeback. New Zealand will want more from Henry and Milne, and fewer wides.

Follow the 2nd T20I live on TryBall: toss, playing XIs, live score and where to watch.