Shreyas Iyer Praises Sanju Samson And Abhishek Sharma Show After India's Record Chase
IANS
ndtv sports|23-10-2026
India captain Shreyas Iyer praised his opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson for laying the foundation for a record 226-run chase against New Zealand in the T20I series opener, and also lauded Naman Dhir's composure in finishing the job.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer said of the experienced duo: "They know exactly what they're doing. You don't have to tell them how to go about their business. Once they get going, it's all about the momentum they carry forward, and today was a perfect example of that. It doesn't happen every time, but when they click, they set the game up for the rest of us. We just come in, steady the ship, and make sure we finish the game."
In front of a sell-out crowd at Hagley Oval, India pulled off their highest successful T20I chase, beating New Zealand by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Samson (67 off 33 balls) and Abhishek (29 off 12 balls) gave India a rollicking start with a 93-run opening stand. After a mid-innings wobble, Dhir finished unbeaten on 42 off 15 balls and sealed the win with a six off the penultimate ball.
Iyer was full of praise for Dhir, whose stocks are rising fast in international cricket, noting that his ability to chip in with off-spin adds to his value at No. 7. "He gives us a lot of options, especially against left-handed batters, or even right-handers," Iyer said. "On this ground, coming in and bowling two or three crucial overs can change the momentum. Personally, I felt the calm and composed nature he showed today was simply magnificent. It was great to see him bat."
The win came just days after India wrapped up their home series against the West Indies, and Iyer felt the team could now move on from the effects of a long journey. "Fantastic. Probably we've got to forget about the jet lag now," he said.
The Indian bowlers had a tough outing as New Zealand piled up 225/4, with none of them conceding less than 10 runs an over. Iyer admitted they pitched the ball up too often early on before the dew made life harder for the bowlers. "When we started bowling, I thought it was playing a bit slow. The ball was holding up a bit, and we bowled a little too full compared to the hard lengths we should have been hitting," he explained. "But as the game progressed, we saw the dew coming in, and the wicket was skidding on as the ball was getting through and coming onto the bat pretty well. That's how they got the momentum and reached 220. Kudos to them for the effort, but we obviously needed that kind of start. Especially when you're chasing 220, getting to 80-85 in six overs is a tremendous start."
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Iyer said of the experienced duo: "They know exactly what they're doing. You don't have to tell them how to go about their business. Once they get going, it's all about the momentum they carry forward, and today was a perfect example of that. It doesn't happen every time, but when they click, they set the game up for the rest of us. We just come in, steady the ship, and make sure we finish the game."
In front of a sell-out crowd at Hagley Oval, India pulled off their highest successful T20I chase, beating New Zealand by four wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Samson (67 off 33 balls) and Abhishek (29 off 12 balls) gave India a rollicking start with a 93-run opening stand. After a mid-innings wobble, Dhir finished unbeaten on 42 off 15 balls and sealed the win with a six off the penultimate ball.
Iyer was full of praise for Dhir, whose stocks are rising fast in international cricket, noting that his ability to chip in with off-spin adds to his value at No. 7. "He gives us a lot of options, especially against left-handed batters, or even right-handers," Iyer said. "On this ground, coming in and bowling two or three crucial overs can change the momentum. Personally, I felt the calm and composed nature he showed today was simply magnificent. It was great to see him bat."
The win came just days after India wrapped up their home series against the West Indies, and Iyer felt the team could now move on from the effects of a long journey. "Fantastic. Probably we've got to forget about the jet lag now," he said.
The Indian bowlers had a tough outing as New Zealand piled up 225/4, with none of them conceding less than 10 runs an over. Iyer admitted they pitched the ball up too often early on before the dew made life harder for the bowlers. "When we started bowling, I thought it was playing a bit slow. The ball was holding up a bit, and we bowled a little too full compared to the hard lengths we should have been hitting," he explained. "But as the game progressed, we saw the dew coming in, and the wicket was skidding on as the ball was getting through and coming onto the bat pretty well. That's how they got the momentum and reached 220. Kudos to them for the effort, but we obviously needed that kind of start. Especially when you're chasing 220, getting to 80-85 in six overs is a tremendous start."
"But as the game progressed, we saw the dew coming in, and the wicket was skidding on as the ball was getting through and coming onto the bat pretty well. That's how they got the momentum and reached 220. Kudos to them for the effort, but we obviously needed that kind of start. Especially when you're chasing 220, getting to 80-85 in six overs is a tremendous start."
