India Beat New Zealand by Four Wickets in 2nd T20I, Take 2–0 Series Lead

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 24, chasing 181 with one ball to spare. Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 51 and Nitish Kumar Reddy made 26 not out as India recovered from 70/5 to take a 2–0 lead in the five-match series.

New Zealand had looked close to levelling the series after captain Mitchell Santner took four wickets for 21 runs. Instead, India reached 181/6 in 19.5 overs, leaving the hosts needing a win in the third match to keep their series hopes alive.

Tilak and Nitish settle a tense chase

India needed 11 runs from the final over, bowled by Jacob Duffy. Nitish took a single before Tilak struck a four, ran two to bring up his half-century and added another single. A wide then left India needing two from the last two legal deliveries. Nitish flicked the next ball into the leg side and the pair ran two to seal the result.

Tilak had put India within reach by hitting 18 runs off the 19th over, including a six from its final ball. He was named player of the match for his unbeaten 51 from 26 deliveries.

The finish was a sharp reversal from the middle of the innings. India had lost five wickets for 70 runs in the 11th over, with Santner dismissing Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel. Naman Dhir counterattacked with 31 from 17 balls, but Santner removed him too, leaving India 112/6 in the 15th over.

Tilak and Nitish added an unbeaten 69 for the seventh wicket. Nitish scored his 26 from 13 balls and also contributed with the ball earlier in the match, dismissing Bevon Jacobs.

Phillips and Jacobs rebuild New Zealand’s innings

India chose to field and reduced New Zealand to 41/3 during the powerplay. Glenn Phillips and Jacobs then put on 116 for the fourth wicket to lift the hosts to 180/5.

Phillips made 70 from 43 balls and Jacobs scored 58 from 46. Their partnership gave New Zealand a competitive total after the early wickets, and Santner’s spell made that score look increasingly difficult for India to chase.

The result gives India two wins from the opening two matches in Christchurch, both by four wickets. The teams meet again in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27. Victory there would secure the series for India; New Zealand must win to extend the contest.