India have their highest successful T20I chase. Overnight in Christchurch they chased 226 to win the series opener against New Zealand. Also today: Harry Brook's fastest ODI double century, which Sri Lanka still beat by chasing 430; South Africa level with Australia; and India women start the Zimbabwe ODIs.
1. India chase 226 in Christchurch, their highest T20I chase
New Zealand made 225/4, with Glenn Phillips unbeaten on 82. India reached 230/6 with two balls left and won by four wickets. They lead the five-match series 1–0. Sanju Samson hit 67 off 33 and added 93 for the first wicket with Abhishek Sharma. Then India lost three quick wickets to the spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell. Shreyas Iyer (42) and Axar Patel steadied the chase. India's previous best was 209, reached twice: at Visakhapatnam in 2023 and at Raipur in January. The second T20I is on Saturday, again in Christchurch. See men's T20I highest chases.
2. Naman Dhir finishes it from No. 7
Naman Dhir made 42 not out off 15 balls. Before this game he had played three T20Is, with 14 runs and 5 wickets in Crickrida's archive. He did not bowl here; Nitish Kumar Reddy was the fifth bowler.
3. Brook's fastest ODI 200, then Sri Lanka chase 430
In the tri-series at Rawalpindi, Harry Brook made 202 off 116 balls, the fastest double century in men's ODIs, and England reached 429/4. His previous ODI best was 136*. Sri Lanka still won by two wickets, making 430/8. Pavan Rathnayake top-scored with 130 off 106. It is the second-highest chase in ODI history, behind South Africa's 438/9 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006. It also passes India's 406 against West Indies last month. Joe Root became the first England batter to reach 8,000 ODI runs; he had 7,903 in our 30 September snapshot. See men's ODI highest chases.
4. South Africa level the series with an innings win
South Africa beat Australia by an innings and 31 runs at Gqeberha, so the three-Test series is now 1–1. They declared on 425/9, then bowled Australia out for 99 and 295. Travis Head made 121 in the follow-on, and rain cost time on the final day. Kagiso Rabada took 4/77. Temba Bavuma was player of the match. Australia won the first Test by 214 runs, so the third Test decides the series.
5. India women begin the Zimbabwe ODIs in Vadodara
After sweeping the T20Is 3–0, India start the ODI series today. Smriti Mandhana captains. Renuka Singh is out because she has not built up enough bowling for 50-over cricket, and Jemimah Rodrigues is injured, so Yastika Bhatia, Tejal Hasabnis or Harleen Deol could come in. Mandhana's ODI numbers are in our Mandhana v Harmanpreet comparison.
Context: the batters behind India's chase
In Crickrida's 30 September snapshot, Abhishek Sharma has the highest T20I strike rate in this group, 194.35 from 1,858 runs. Samson's 1,558 runs include three hundreds, at a strike rate of 157.37. See men's T20I most runs.
Read the previous note
Yesterday's note: India v New Zealand T20Is begin as Bhuvneshwar returns.
The figures behind the infographic
| Statistic | Sanju Samson | Abhishek Sharma | Shreyas Iyer | Axar Patel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 70 | 60 | 65 | 105 |
| Runs | 1558 | 1858 | 1479 | 755 |
| Average | 27.33 | 32.59 | 31.46 | 16.77 |
| Strike rate | 157.37 | 194.35 | 137.83 | 130.39 |
| Highest | 111 | 135 | 80* | 65 |
| Fifties | 8 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| Hundreds | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Compare two international careers · Sanju Samson profile · Abhishek Sharma profile · Shreyas Iyer profile · Axar Patel profile · Create your own visual
News items come from the day's cricket coverage. Scores and margins appear only when two reports agree or a report matches Crickrida's match archive; single-report items are stated without figures. Career figures come from Crickrida's career snapshot checked 30 September 2026. Previous record chases come from Crickrida's international match archive. Batting average = runs ÷ dismissals; strike rate = runs per 100 balls.