Christchurch | India opener Sanju Samson on Thursday said the three-time world champions have emphasised "killing games in the powerplay" whenever the opportunity has presented itself.
Samson hammered a 33-ball 67, with eight fours and four sixes, to pave the way for India's four-wicket win over New Zealand in the opening match of the five-T20I series here.
Samson went berserk at the top as he added 93 runs inside the powerplay in a tall run chase of 226, with India scoring 230/6 in 19.4 overs to record their highest-ever successful run chase in T20 Internationals.
"I won't think so we would have played a bit differently, but I think it's a different phases of the game," Samson told reporters when asked if India's approach with the bat in the chase would have been different had they been chasing a smaller target.
"You have different approaches when you have had a really good start in the powerplay… we actually phrase it very differently, like powerplays is different, middle-overs is different and the death (overs stage) is different."
"So even if you're chasing 170 and if you’ve got (off) to a flyer, we make sure that we kill the game in the powerplay itself. That's what we have been doing really well in the last couple of years."
Samson added, "I think that’s the mentality which we have been showing. I think not only me and Abhi (Abhishek Sharma), whoever is playing for Indian cricket (Team), that's a style which we have been following right after winning the 2024 (T20) World Cup. We just have to follow which is working for us as a team."
