Sanju Samson's 67 and Naman Dhir's late six carry India to a four-wicket win in Christchurch

India chased down 226 at Hagley Oval with two balls to spare, Sanju Samson's 67 from 33 balls setting up a four-wicket win that puts them 1-0 up

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20I in Christchurch, reaching 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs after the hosts had posted 225 for 4.

Samson took the chase beyond New Zealand's reach inside the first half of the innings, and Naman Dhir, unbeaten on 42 from 15 balls, closed it out by clearing the rope off the fourth ball of the final over.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and put New Zealand in, a decision that looked expensive once Glenn Phillips had finished on 82 not out from 40 balls.

Phillips carries New Zealand past 220

Iyer had been plain about his reasoning at the toss. "We'll bowl first. Quick turnaround, got to see how the wicket will play," he said.

Finn Allen gave the innings its shape with 45 from 24 balls, and Tim Seifert's 24 kept the rate climbing through the powerplay.

Phillips arrived with the innings needing a finisher and supplied one, his unbeaten 82 coming at better than two runs a ball.

Bevon Jacobs made 31 from 16 in support before Arshdeep Singh ran him out, and Daryl Mitchell's 28 carried New Zealand to 225 for 4.

India's attack found nothing in the surface. Five bowlers shared the overs, Mayank Yadav's 1-40 the tightest of them, while Axar Patel conceded 51 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, back in the side after nearly four years, went for 49 without a wicket.

Samson takes the chase away early

The powerplay belonged to India. Samson and Abhishek Sharma attacked from the first over and took the chase to a rate New Zealand's total had not allowed for.

Samson reached fifty from 23 balls, his 11th in T20Is, and struck eight fours and four sixes in all.

He and Abhishek Sharma put on 93 from 35 balls for the first wicket, Abhishek making 29 from 12 before he was caught at short third.

Mitchell Santner ended Samson's innings in the ninth over with the score 115 for 2, an under-edge finishing a knock struck at better than 200.

New Zealand squeeze the middle overs

Adam Milne had Iyer caught at extra cover for 42 from 28, and the captain's exit handed the chase to the lower middle order.

Tilak Varma made 6 from 11 and Ishan Kishan 1 as the required rate pushed past two runs a ball.

Axar's 24 kept India within range until Lockie Ferguson had him caught by substitute fielder Devon Conway.

Santner had removed both Samson and Kishan, and New Zealand stayed in the match well into the closing overs.

Dhir settles it with two balls left

India needed 11 from eight balls as the 19th over wound down, and three came from its last two deliveries to leave eight required from the final over.

Two balls into that over the equation was three from four.

Dhir cleared the boundary off the fourth to finish the match, India arriving at 230 for 6 with two deliveries unused.

What the result says about both sides

India's total was built on tempo rather than accumulation: Samson and Dhir between them faced 48 balls for 109 runs.

Bhuvneshwar's first international outing in nearly four years brought him no reward, though little on the night did.

The bowling is the clearer worry. Only three of the five who bowled took a wicket, and New Zealand's fourth dismissal was a run-out.

For New Zealand, 225 for 4 was a total that would win most nights at Hagley Oval, and losing from there leaves them chasing the series from the opening match.

Scorecard: New Zealand 225 for 4 (20 overs); India 230 for 6 (19.4 overs). India won by four wickets.

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