The rescue act by the batters was impressive but India's bowling attack needs to find its rhythm and figure out a way to contain a rather destructive New Zealand in the second T20 International in Christchurch on Saturday (October 24, 2026).
As has been the case of late, the batters saved the day for India after the bowlers endured another ordinary outing.
The record chase of 226 gave the visiting team a crucial 1-0 lead but it also highlighted frailties that can cost the side heavily in the remainder of the five-match series.
The fifth and sixth bowling options have been a concern for India with the all-rounders not yet doing justice to those roles in the absence of an injury-prone Hardik Pandya.
On Thursday (October 22, 2026), Nitish Reddy went wicket-less and leaked 40 runs in his four overs while Naman Dhir did not get to bowl before he produced a match-winning effort with the bat.
To compound India's bowling woes, front-line bowlers too were at the receiving end in the series-opener.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bowling in his first India game in nearly four years, was not at his sharpest and leaked 49 runs in his full quota of overs.
His two no-balls and as many wides suggested that he needs more time to get up to speed.
Finn Allen and his fellow opener Tim Seifert were able to pick Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep for boundaries at will in the powerplay, putting the seasoned duo under immense pressure.
Like on Thursday night, the conditions are expected to be ideal for batting, leaving the bowlers with very little room for error. Axar Patel, too, would be under pressure, having leaked the most runs for India in the first T20.
"...we bowled a little ahead compared to the hard lengths we should have been hitting," acknowledged India skipper Shreyas Iyer after the four-wicket win in which his 28-ball 42 proved vital.
On the batting front, the Indian and New Zealand supporters will, in all likelihood, get to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bat in the middle. The space in the playing eleven has been created due to Ishan Kishan's injury.
The 15-year-old is expected to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma, with Samson to follow at number three.
Tilak Varma is expected to return to his number five spot after being promoted to three on Thursday due to Kishan's injury.
New Zealand pacers Matt Henry and Adam Milne generated plenty of swing in their first spells but their lengths were not probing enough for Samson and Abhishek.
In Mitchell Santner's own words, his team's biggest challenge on Saturday night would be to contain the in-form Indian top-order.
Samson and Abhishek wreaked havoc on the New Zealand bowlers in the powerplay, hammering as many as 94 runs.
On the positive side, Santner and fellow spinner Michael Bracewell troubled the Indian batters in the middle overs and they would be looking to maintain the upper hand over the opposition.
India's left-handers have struggled against off-spin and that was evident in their approach against Bracewell.
Considering the depth of Indian batting, New Zealand will surely need to bowl better to make a match of it.
"So I think both teams could probably look at a few things here and there, which I think could have gone either way. The extras at the start maybe and obviously I think in the field we were pretty good," said Santner.
"It's not an easy ground to catch here. A couple of more chances, closing overs at times, but, I think the powerplay is always going to be a challenge. I guess we have to find a way to slow them down (Samson and Abhishek)," he added.
Squads:
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith.
Match starts 12.30 p.m. IST.