At one point during the sixth over in Christchurch on Thursday, a target of 226 no longer looked daunting. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had put on 93 runs in the first 35 balls, leaving New Zealand’s new-ball plans in tatters.
India eventually chased down 226 in 19.4 overs at Hagley Oval, completing their highest successful chase in T20I cricket. Their previous best was 209 against Australia in Visakhapatnam in 2023, a target they matched against New Zealand in Raipur earlier this year. The Christchurch chase was also the second-highest successful chase against New Zealand in T20Is.
Samson top-scored for India with his 33-ball 67, laced with eight fours and four maximums, while Abhishek made 29 off 12. Captain Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir then took charge of the finish with scores in the forties. But the foundation for the record chase had been laid by the openers.
Samson later explained the thinking behind their approach.
“Even if you’re chasing 170 and if you’ve got (off) to a flyer, we make sure that we kill the game in the Powerplay itself,” he said. “That’s what we have been doing really well in the last couple of years.”
The timing of the performance mattered. A day before the start of the five-match series, Iyer had been asked the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi question again.
{{/usCountry}}The timing of the performance mattered. A day before the start of the five-match series, Iyer had been asked the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi question again.
{{/usCountry}}The 15-year-old has been one of the talking points of the summer, particularly after his spectacular IPL 2026 campaign prompted the selectors to hand him an international call-up. He made his debut on the tour of England but has since had to wait for another opportunity. Iyer was direct when asked when the teenager might play again.
“He is very young, he has more years to get opportunities. It’s not like he can walk in right now, because our openers are scoring consistently, and they have won the World Cup.”
The numbers support the captain’s argument. Over their last six T20Is, including five against the West Indies at home, Samson and Abhishek have opened together in every match. Their partnerships read 29, 42, 7, 60, 13 and 93.
Only two partnerships have passed 50, and yet in four of those matches, at least one of them made a half-century. Samson hit 82 in Ranchi, Abhishek 69 in Indore, Samson 56 in Hyderabad, and 67 on Thursday. Across the six innings, Samson has 235 runs at a strike rate of 197.5, and Abhishek has 174 at 177.6. This combination may not always click, but one of the two usually does, which is what has kept management invested in them.
It hasn't quite been a straight road. Not for Abhishek, who has been the primary opener for India over the last two years. Samson’s place, however, has fluctuated.
After scoring three T20I centuries in 2024, Samson appeared to have secured his place in India’s plans. His fortunes changed during the home series against England in 2025, when he managed just 51 runs in five innings and struggled against short-pitched bowling.
By September 2025, with India entering the final stretch of preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup, the selectors had lost faith in Samson and brought Shubman Gill into the opening role. Gill was also named vice-captain for the Asia Cup. The experiment failed, and by the end of the year, the BCCI had abandoned the plan, bringing Samson back into the fold and including him in the World Cup squad. However, low scores continued into the home series against New Zealand in January 2026.
Samson played only one match in the preliminary stage of the World Cup, against Namibia, before being sidelined when Abhishek returned. But when India faced a crisis over their left-hander heavy batting line-up's struggles against off-spin, Samson emerged as their unlikely saviour.
He responded with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies, followed by 89 in the semifinal against England and another 89 in the final against New Zealand. He finished the tournament with 321 runs at a strike rate of 199.37 and was named Player of the Tournament.
The summer brought another test. A string of low scores on the tour of England saw Samson make way for Sooryavanshi, who made his debut at Old Trafford on July 4. Samson was subsequently left out of the Zimbabwe tour, where the teenager impressed with scores of 50, 20 and 81 to claim the Player of the Series award.
When the team assembled for the series against Afghanistan in September, Samson was given another opportunity. He responded with consecutive half-centuries in the final two matches, with opening partnerships of 88 and 142.
Sooryavanshi’s performances in Zimbabwe showed that he was more than capable of staying in the conversation. But Samson and Abhishek have done enough to keep that conversation from becoming a selection imperative, for now.
The teenager’s presence has undoubtedly raised the stakes. With a ready replacement waiting, neither opener can afford an extended lean patch. Both have responded with runs so far.
The next T20 World Cup is in 2028 and that leaves India enough time to continue testing their options. Sooryavanshi will get his opportunities but right now, India shouldn't mess with an opening pair that keeps delivering.