IND vs NZ 1st T20I: India chase 226 to win by four wickets, Samson 67 off 33; next match Saturday at 12 noon PKT

Result, Thursday 22 October 2026: India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the first T20I in Christchurch, chasing 226 with two balls to spare, the highest target India have ever chased in a T20 international, ARY News reported from AFP. New Zealand made 225 for 4 and India 230 for 6 in 19.4 overs, ESPNcricinfo's scores show. India lead the five-match series 1-0.

• Sanju Samson made 67 off 33 balls and put on 93 with Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay; India reached 65 inside four overs.
• Spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell took four wickets in five overs between them to pull New Zealand back.
• Captain Shreyas Iyer made 42 off 28 and Naman Dhir 42 off 15 to finish it.
• For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips made 82 not out, Finn Allen 45 off 24, Bevon Jacobs 31 off 16 and Daryl Mitchell 28. India had chosen to bowl.

Next: 2nd T20I, Saturday 24 October, 12 noon PKT, Hagley Oval, Christchurch. The full schedule in Pakistan time is below.

Updated 22 October, 6:55pm PKT. The preview follows.

"India vs NZ" is one of the most searched phrases in Pakistan today, and the answer is: the first T20I of India's tour of New Zealand is on Thursday 22 October 2026 at 12:00 pm Pakistan time, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. It is the start of a record 12-match tour confirmed by New Zealand Cricket: five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests.

India vs New Zealand schedule in Pakistan time

New Zealand is on daylight saving time (NZDT, eight hours ahead of Pakistan), so the evening T20Is fall at lunchtime here.

Local start times are 8 pm for T20Is, 3 pm for ODIs and 11 am for Tests, as announced by New Zealand Cricket and reported by Geo Super.

Squads for the T20Is

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner.

India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, according to CricTracker's squad list.

ESPNcricinfo's preview describes India as jetlagged on arrival, and New Zealand captain Santner has said India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar "will love these conditions".

Why it matters to Pakistan fans

The two Tests count in the World Test Championship table, where Pakistan also compete. Pakistan are playing their own tri-series at the same time: read how Arafat Minhas led the win over England and keep up with every match on our cricket today page.

The ODIs start at 7 am and the Tests at 3 am Pakistan time, so set an alarm.