Sanju Samson blazed a 33-ball 67 — studded with eight fours and four sixes — as India chased down 226 against New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on 22 October, recording their highest-ever successful run chase in T20 Internationals. India won the first game of the five-match T20I series by four wickets, reaching the target with two balls to spare.

How the Chase Unfolded

Samson and opening partner Abhishek Sharma, who cracked 29 off 12 balls, exploded out of the blocks, racing to 93 runs as a pair inside the powerplay. The duo's tearaway start — 90-odd runs in six overs — instantly tilted the contest in India's favour. Samson's dismissal in the ninth over triggered a brief middle-order wobble, but captain Shreyas Iyer's 42 and an unbeaten 42 from Naman Dhir steadied the ship and carried India home.

Samson on the Partnership: 'We Just Watch the Ball and Hit Hard'

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, where he collected the Player of the Match award, Samson was candid about the opening pair's philosophy. 'We do have a lot of conversations happening in the middle, but nothing makes sense actually. We just watch the ball and hit hard. It has been working very well for us and I like batting with him at the top,' he said.

Samson added that the powerplay conditions encouraged the pair to push hard from the first ball. 'The ball was swinging around a lot, I think in the second half, a bit too much actually. But off the surface it was coming on very nicely. So I think me and Abhi just felt like keeping the shape and having a very positive intent in the powerplay. Once we got off to a flying start, we felt the match could be finished in the first half as well. Six overs, 90-odd runs — that was a great start today. So I think we just wanted to go all out,' he explained.

How Wicketkeeping Shaped His Batting Read

Samson noted that keeping wickets in the first innings gave him an early read of surface behaviour — though he acknowledged conditions had shifted considerably by the time India batted. 'Absolutely, you definitely think about your batting while you are keeping wickets. But I think today I summed up my way to play the game while keeping. But when I came to bat, it was completely different. In the first half, the ball was stopping a bit from the length area, but in the second half I think the ball was coming on very nicely with heavy dew in the outfield. So I really enjoyed the batting,' he said.

A Collective Effort at Hagley Oval

Despite his own starring role, Samson was keen to distribute the credit. 'It feels really good. Whatever contribution you make, I think it feels good to end up on the winning side. So it's a really great contribution from all of us in the team. So it was completely a team game today. So really happy that we started off nicely for the series,' he said. The sell-out crowd at Hagley Oval witnessed a record-breaking evening for Indian cricket.

The second match of the series is scheduled at the same venue on Saturday, with India looking to build on a commanding series opener.