Sanju Samson achieved another memorable record in the first T20 of the 5-match series against New Zealand. Sanju has now scored the most half-centuries at a 200+ strike rate, the most by any player in T20. England’s Jos Buttler is second. He achieved this record 6 times.

These stats show Samson's ability to score very fast while reaching important individual milestones. His attacking approach also helps India maintain a high scoring rate during the powerplay.

Team India is currently playing the T20 series against New Zealand. In the first game, he scored 67. In this innings, he cracked 8 fours and 4 sixes. It was a fabulous innings by him. In this game, star fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a T20 match for India after 4 years. He played his last T20 international during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022.

Samson and Abhishek Sharma provide India with a strong opening partnership. The pair add 93 runs for the first wicket, putting pressure on New Zealand's bowlers from the beginning. Abhishek contributes 29 runs from just 12 deliveries.

However, India face difficulties after losing a few wickets in the middle overs. New Zealand's spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell bring the hosts back into the game. Santner eventually dismisses Samson after his crucial contribution.

New Zealand post 225 runs in their innings, with Glenn Phillips scoring an unbeaten 82 off 40 balls. His innings includes eight fours and three sixes, which helped the Blackcaps set India a target of 226.

India reach 230 for six in 19.4 overs and win by 4 wickets. Shreyas Iyer scores 42 runs, while Naman Dhir remains unbeaten on 42 off just 15 balls.

The victory gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. Samson won player of the match for his match-winning innings. India will now look to continue their winning momentum in the second T20I. After this win, Men in Blue will play the next match on Saturday at Christchurch.

Stay engaged with Cricketsky to watch live scores, cricket news, IPL and international head-to-head daily with lightning-fast updates.