Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer was elated to start the five-match T20I series against New Zealand on a winning note by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer showered praise on the opening batters Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson for setting up the chase perfectly well. Batting first, New Zealand posted 225/4 in 20 overs, courtesy of Glenn Phillips’ 82* and Finn Allen’s 45.
“Probably we need to forget about the jetlag now (smiles). When we started bowling, it was playing a bit slow and we bowled a little ahead than the hard lengths we wanted to be hitting. Then dew came in, and the ball started coming onto the bat nicely,” Iyer said.
“When you are chasing 220, getting 85 in six overs, it is a tremendous start. (On the openers) They are experienced enough. We don’t need to tell them about their business. Obviously it does not happen every time. But when they click, they set up the game for us, and the rest of us try to steady the ship and finish,” he added.
In the chase, Sanju Samson (67), Shreyas Iyer (42) and Naman Dhir (42*) played a pivotal role as India sealed the deal in 19.4 overs with four wickets in hand. Iyer heaped praise on Naman Dhir for giving the team a lot of options.
“He (Naman Dhir) gives us lots of options. I personally feel the calm and composed nature he showed tonight, it was magnificent,” he concluded.
The second T20I of the five-match series will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24.
