Naman Dhir’s unbeaten 42 seals India’s win in first T20I at Christchurch
Naman Dhir struck an unbeaten 42 off 15 balls to finish India’s chase and secure victory over New Zealand in the first T20I in Christchurch on Thursday night, completing the chase with four deliveries to spare after the hosts posted 225 for four.
Dhir has scored 110 international runs in six innings across the two white-ball formats, of which 88 — 80% — have come in boundaries; he has hit 10 fours and eight sixes from the 49 deliveries he has faced in ODIs and T20Is, producing strike-rates of 142.85 in ODIs and 285.71 in T20Is. The 26-year-old from Ambala has featured in nine international outings, a small sample size the report notes, but his composure and boundary-hitting have stood out in his early appearances.
New Zealand powered to 225 for four, their highest T20I total against India and their joint sixth-highest overall, propelled by an unbeaten 82 from Glenn Phillips and a late contribution from Bevon Jacobs as the home side accelerated to nearly 13 an over in the second half of the innings. The contest saw periods in the first half when Indian bowlers kept the scoring under check, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to bowl for India after nearly four years for the country; he is described in the report as a seasoned 36-year-old.
India’s reply began explosively: Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma put together a 93-run opening stand in 35 deliveries, with Samson scoring 67 off 33 balls. The report records that the left-hander was dismissed by off-spinner Michael Bracewell after a 12-ball spell that produced two fours and three sixes, leaving India 122 for four and needing 104 in 57 deliveries.
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel steadied the chase, with Axar contributing 24 off 14 before making way for Naman Dhir. Dhir signalled India’s arrival with a six off Matt Henry — a top-edged pull that cleared fine leg — and then accelerated the chase from the lower order; he did not bowl in the match. The piece notes that Dhir’s only previous over, against West Indies in Hyderabad a little over a week earlier, went for 19, and that captain Shreyas Iyer chose not to deploy him as a bowler, instead using Nitish Kumar’s full complement as the fifth bowler.
Dhir’s late hitting was underpinned by recent displays: he hit an unbeaten 24 off six balls against West Indies in Bengaluru, including three sixes and one four, finishing that reduced match with a strike rate of 400, and he scored 30 off 21 in his sole ODI appearance in New Chandigarh last month. At Hagley Oval, he finished an unbeaten 42 off 15 deliveries, featuring five fours and two sixes, and shared an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 20 with Nitish Kumar in which Nitish scored two and Dhir 18 in six balls.
To many observers Dhir was the obvious choice for Player-of-the-Match, but the award went to Samson for his 33-ball 67. The report adds that Dhir has five T20I wickets to his name and suggests he could challenge Washington Sundar for the role of off-spinning all-rounder, and that he will have further opportunities when Sri Lanka come calling next month.
