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RESULTT20I2nd T20I · Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand vs India
India won by 4 wkts
India won the toss and chose to bowl
- Match
- New Zealand vs India, 2nd T20I
- Date
- 24 Oct 2026 to 24 Oct 2026
- Start
- 12:30 IST · 07:00 GMT
- Venue
- Hagley Oval, Christchurch
- Toss
- India won the toss and chose to bowl
Venue guide
- Capacity
- 20,000
- Opened
- 1886
- Home to
- Canterbury
Recent meetings
| Tilak VarmaIndia · Batter | 51* (26)Bat · R (B) | 64s | 16s | 196.2SR | not outOut |
NZNew Zealand 180/5 (20.0)
INDIndia 181/6 (19.5)
RUNS PER OVER
SCORE BY OVER
Final overs
Full commentary- Shreyas Iyer 2/2: [On India's fielding effort and the importance of preventing the opposition from taking twos] I think that was the message passed on to each and every player in the team, that you got to anticipate every ball that is coming to you, and just believe that you’re going to give singles, and just see to it that you’re running into the ball so that, you know, the opponents, they think twice about running twos. [On India's next destination and the team's progress in the series] Thank you so much. Job is still half done.
- Under pressure with the odds against you, if there's one man you want in the middle it's Tilak Varma. Remarkable ability from the Hyderabad boy to deliver in crunch situations time and again, and today he just sneaked one out of the jaws of defeat for India. New Zealand will wonder what they have to do to get over the line against a team that just seems to have the wood over them. Next up we move from Christchurch to Wellington for the third T20I. Will see you there for all the action. For now, it's a goodbye from Sagar Chawla on behalf of Siva, Pradeep Krishnamurthy and Raju Peethala.
- Shreyas Iyer | India captain: [On India's win under pressure and the team's ability to produce match-winners] Yes, absolutely. I feel that every individual in our game is a match winner, and today we saw the example of that. Like, honestly speaking, when we lost wickets, consecutive wickets especially, we thought that the game was going away from us. But Tilak and Reddy, they showed immense character, and also a great cameo by Naman Dhir. [On Naman Dhir's contribution and his all-round abilities] We saw him in a couple of games back home against West Indies. He’s a phenomenal bowler as well, and once you get both the parts covered in terms of batting and bowling, I think he brings in a lot of character, and also when you see him move around in the field, he basically, he’s a comprehensive player. [On the challenge posed by New Zealand's spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell and India's approach during the chase] I think we played a lot of dot balls initially, and that basically piled up the run rate as well, and also when we went in, we wanted to actually cruise, but they bowled amazing, especially Bracewell and Santner, the way they controlled the game in the middle. It wasn’t easy to strike the ball, but I think if we would have picked up the gaps and tried to find boundaries, we could have easily cruised. But unfortunate. You know, it happens. Just another day, and I’m sure that we’ll bounce back pretty strong.
- Santner 2/2: [On the batting effort and the partnerships between Bevon Jacobs and Glenn Phillips after losing early wickets] Obviously GP’s done it for a long time now, and I think even Bev, they played the situation beautifully. We lost three early and then they kind of built. I think we were only 60-odd after 10, but then I think it’s one of those surfaces where if you give yourself a chance, give yourself some balls, you can kind of cash in with the power of those two. I thought they played very well. And then, I mean, I blocked a couple of them, but Beast (Bracewell), you know, even 10 off two there to get us up to 180. [On Matt Henry being off the field and the possibility of injuries or rotation during the series] I think it’s precautionary, and I think Lockie went off as well. So hopefully those guys scrub up okay. But I think with the quick turnarounds throughout the series and in the one-days, there could be a bit of rotation. I think that’s just what it’s going to have to be.
- Henry went off the field midway during that innings with some issue and couldn't complete his quota. Ferguson wasn't on the field for the last couple of overs either.
- Mitchell Santner | New Zealand Captain: [On another close defeat and the fine margins against a strong opposition] I mean, you play a very good team. It’s always going to be like that, I think. Tilak and Naman and then obviously Reddy at the end, really played pretty well. I think if we got one more wicket there, it was kind of game over. So the way they controlled that chase and, I guess, made us make some errors at the end. [On the impact of the spinners and whether he considered other bowling options, including Glenn Phillips] There’s plenty going through my mind. I think obviously the way the guys started with the ball, outstanding, I think. A score like 180, if they get off to a flyer with the power play, it’s pretty tough from there. So I thought we did pretty well to claw them back, and then obviously through the middle, Beast (Bracewell) is bowling extremely well, and it was nice to get a few poles. I think, you know, a couple of no-balls, obviously no-ball wicket and stuff like that along the way, that obviously hurts you. And I think that from a skills point of view, it’s been very good the last two games. It’s just kind of those little moments where whether it’s in the field or kind of those little sloppy stuff that’s going to hurt us a little bit.
- Stats by Roshan Gede Highest stands for 7th wicket or lower in successful T20I chases (FM teams) 82 - Afif Hossain & Mosaddek Hossain (BAN) vs ZIM, Mirpur, 2019 69* - Chamika Karunaratne & Dasun Shanaka (SL) vs AUS, Pallekele, 2022 69* - Tilak Varma & Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 64* - Wayne Parnell & Rusty Theron (SA) vs AUS, Johannesburg, 2011 59* - Yusuf Pathan & Irfan Pathan (IND) vs SL, Colombo (RPS), 2009 Tilak Varma in Overs 16-20 in T20s in 2026 Runs: 470 Balls: 203 Dismissals: 10 SR: 231.52 Bnd %: 33.99 4s/6s: 32/37 Of the 105 batters to have faced at least 75 balls in this phase this year (where data available), Tilak has the highest strike-rate. India’s chase Overs 1-6: 44/1, RR: 7.33 Overs 7-15: 69/5, RR: 7.66 Overs 16-19.5: 68/0, RR: 14.06 NZ bowling today Pace: 2/123 in 11.5 overs, ER: 10.39 Spin: 4/56 in 8 overs, ER: 7 NZ’s bowling in the series so far Pace: 4/277 in 23.3 overs, ER: 11.78, Avg: 69.25 Spin: 8/132 in 16 overs, ER: 8.25, Avg: 16.5 Highest successful chases after being 5 down ≤ 70 in T20Is 204 from 53/5 - PNG vs Singapore, 2022 181 from 70/5 - IND vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 174 from 40/5 - SL vs AUS, Geelong, 2017 173 from 40/5 - PAK vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2015 172 from 65/5 - Romania vs Austria, Iflov County, 2025
- Tilak Varma | Player of the Match - (What was the mindset after losing 5 wickets) No, at that stage I was just thinking about playing till the end. Just before today’s game, I was talking with coach Gautam sir and Sitanshu Kotak Sir. I was talking with both of them, and they said one thing that we all believe, and the whole India believes in you. If you stay till the end, then you will win the game for us. So that’s what was going through my mind. I wanted to take the game as deep as possible, and at the end of the day, again, what everyone has believed and have done. So I’m really proud of myself. (On the partnership with Naman Dhir) I was telling Naman that we’ll stay till the end, and especially the wicket was slightly slower today, compared to the last game. So I was telling Naman that we’ll push hard in running between the wickets when spinners were bowling. So that’s what our plan was, and we pushed hard when they were bowling, and unfortunately Naman got out in the last over of Mitchell Santner. Otherwise, I think we would have finished the game in 19th over, sorry, 18th over. So credit goes to Naman as well, the way he batted, but after that, you know, the Hyderabadi boys are in play today, Nitish Reddy and myself, and we are really happy that we finished the game. (On batting out the spinners) Definitely there was a plan like that, but we thought that we’ll put that intent when they bowl in our arc. We’ll go. Otherwise, we want to just push it in the gaps and we want to run hard. And we have done that. I think, I think four to five two runs we have got in spinners. So they were really crucial, those eight to ten runs. So I think we played smartly there, and later on we know that we can hit sixes against the fast bowlers. We needed that pace in this huge ground. So we were waiting for that, and we finished off in style.
- Stats by Roshan Gede Highest 7th wicket stands in successful T20I chases (FM teams) 82 - Afif Hossain & Mosaddek Hossain (BAN) vs ZIM, Mirpur, 2019 69* - Chamika Karunaratne & Dasun Shanaka (SL) vs AUS, Pallekele, 2022 69* - Tilak Varma & Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 64* - Wayne Parnell & Rusty Theron (SA) vs AUS, Johannesburg, 2011 59* - Yusuf Pathan & Irfan Pathan (IND) vs SL, Colombo (RPS), 2009 Tilak Varma in Overs 16-20 in T20s in 2026 : Runs: 470 Balls: 203 Dismissals: 10 SR: 231.52 Bnd%: 33.99 4s/6s: 32/37 Of the 105 batters to have faced at least 75 balls in this phase this year (where data available), Tilak has the highest strike-rate. India’s chase Overs 1-6: 44/1, RR: 7.33 Overs 7-15: 69/5, RR: 7.66 Overs 16-19.5: 68/0, RR: 14.06 NZ bowling today Pace: 2/123 in 11.5 overs, ER: 10.39 Spin: 4/56 in 8 overs, ER: 7 NZ’s bowling in the series so far Pace: 4/277 in 23.3 overs, ER: 11.78, Avg: 69.25 Spin: 8/132 in 16 overs, ER: 8.25, Avg: 16.5 Highest successful chases after being 5 down ≤ 70 in T20Is 204 from 53/5 - PNG vs Singapore, 2022 181 from 70/5 - IND vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 174 from 40/5 - SL vs AUS, Geelong, 2017 173 from 40/5 - PAK vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2015 172 from 65/5 - Romania vs Austria, Iflov County, 2025
- 23:44 Local Time, 10:44 GMT, 16:14 IST: New Zealand will wonder how that slipped away. After Santner got rid of Naman Dhir, the game seemed to be in their bag. India needed close to 70 in the last five overs at that stage with just four wickets in hand, and none of their batters looked like getting a hold of the pitch, except Dhir. Conditions were different in comparison to the first game with the ball not coming on as well. There wasn't much dew on the outfield either. But as Tilak Varma has already done a number of times in his young career so far, he came clutch under pressure and turned it on in some style. He took the attack to Duffy and Smith who crumbled at the death, not getting their execution right and all the hard work done by Santner, who was brilliant for his 4/21, came undone. It just looks like this Indian team has got the wood over the Kiwis with the kind of record they've built up against them in the recent past. The belief is there, even to come back from losing positions and get over the line. Stay tuned, we'll have the presentations shortly..
- Over 20 · 11 runs (1 4 2 1 wd 2)
- 19.52Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, remarkable turnaround here in Christchurch as India go 2-0 up in the series! Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy the heroes for the visitors as they come back from nowhere to seal the win. Full toss on the pads, it's flicked away into the gap and they get back for two as the crowd erupts
- 19.5wdJacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, wide, another bumper, goes past the attempted ramp, beating Reddy for pace but hang on ... the striker's end umpire feels it's too high. She spreads her arms to signal a wide. 2 needed off 2 - Duffy shakes his head as he walks back. Reddy was immediately asking for a wide and was searching to see where the umpire was. He looked at square leg but the ump was at point, giving the decision in his favour
- 19.41Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 1 run, again he goes short outside off, Tilak doesn't get hold of it, cuts it in the air but it lands short of sweeper cover. Over to Reddy
- 19.32Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, banged in short outside off, rushes Tilak on the pull and he mistimes it down to long-on. He was taking it a little easy on the second run, thinking the throw won't come to his end but then turned around and realised he had to put in the dive to make it back. Fifty up for him, job not done though
- 19.24Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, full and wide, misses with his execution and Tilak absolutely blasts it away through extra cover. Might've been going for the wide yorker but ended up offering it right in the slot
- Santner, Duffy and Mitchell having a chat about the field. Square leg comes in the ring, mid-off is in, so is third man
- 19.11Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, banged in short, Reddy pulls hard but it goes straight to deep midwicket on the bounce
- Last over, 11 to get for India, and New Zealand have been penalised for their slow over-rate. Need an extra fielder in the ring
- End of over 19 · 18 runs (4 4 0 4 0 6)IND 170/6Tilak Varma 44(23) · Nitish Kumar Reddy 23(11) · Nathan Smith 3-0-34-1
- 18.66Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, SIX, the Indian players are on their feet in the dugout! They know all about what Tilak Varma can do and are watching another fine display from the left-hander here. Nerves of steel this guy. Slower length ball angled away wide of off, he hangs back, reaches out and slaps it over wide long-off for a remarkable six
- 18.5•Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, no run, comes charging down the pitch but ends up getting yorked by Smith who slants it away and beats him on the way to the keeper
- 18.44Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, short ball, Tilak swivels across, pulls it behind square and there's no one in the deep to cut it off. What a turnaround this is - just 17 needed now off 8 balls. Slipping away from New Zealand at the death
- 18.3•Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, no run, some respite for the hosts as Smith sneaks in a dot. Slower bouncer wide of off, he reaches out to cut but misses
- 18.24Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, misfield from Phillips and it sneaks through for four! Slower short ball, he pulls fiercely to the right of deep midwicket where Phillips gets to it but the ball goes right through as he dives across
- 18.14Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, that's not where he intended the ball to go at all, but India aren't complaning! Problems for New Zealand here! Attempted yorker at the stumps, Tilak goes down for a premeditated scoop, gets a thick edge and instead of going over short fine, it goes over short third
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Seifertc Tilak Varma b Arshdeep Singh | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 116.7 |
| Finn Allenb Prince Yadav | 16 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 114.3 |
| Daryl Mitchellc Tilak Varma b Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120.0 |
| Glenn Phillipsc Naman Dhir b Arshdeep Singh | 70 | 43 | 4 | 4 | 162.8 |
| Bevon Jacobsc Axar Patel b Nitish Kumar Reddy | 58 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 126.1 |
| Mitchell Santner*not out | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.0 |
| Michael Bracewell*not out | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 500.0 |
Extras9 (b 0, lb 1, w 7, nb 1)
Total180/5 (20.0 ov, RR 9.00)
Did not bat: Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson
Fall of wickets: 9-1 (Tim Seifert, 1.3 ov), 18-2 (Daryl Mitchell, 3.0 ov), 41-3 (Finn Allen, 5.2 ov), 157-4 (Glenn Phillips, 18.0 ov), 165-5 (Bevon Jacobs, 18.5 ov)
| Bowler · IND | O | M | R | W | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 12.50 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8.25 |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 7.50 |
| Naman Dhir | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7.00 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7.00 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 10.33 |
New Zealand- 1Finn AllenBatter
- 2Tim Seifert(wk)Wicketkeeper
- 3Daryl MitchellAll-rounder
- 4Glenn PhillipsAll-rounder
- 5Bevon JacobsBatter
- 6Michael BracewellAll-rounder
- 7Mitchell Santner(c)All-rounder
- 8Nathan SmithAll-rounder
- 9Matt HenryBowler
- 10Jacob DuffyBowler
- 11Lockie FergusonBowler
Bench
India- 1Sanju Samson(wk)Wicketkeeper
- 2Abhishek SharmaAll-rounder
- 3Vaibhav SooryavanshiBatter
- 4Shreyas Iyer(c)Batter
- 5Tilak VarmaBatter
- 6Nitish Kumar ReddyAll-rounder
- 7Naman DhirBatter
- 8Axar PatelAll-rounder
- 9Bhuvneshwar KumarBowler
- 10Arshdeep SinghBowler
- 11Prince YadavBowler
Bench
- 19.3FFiftyJacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, banged in short outside off, rushes Tilak on the pull and he mistimes it down to long-on. He was taking it a little easy on the second run, thinking the throw won't come to his end but then turned around and realised he had to put in the dive to make it back. Fifty up for him, job not done though
- 19.24Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, full and wide, misses with his execution and Tilak absolutely blasts it away through extra cover. Might've been going for the wide yorker but ended up offering it right in the slot
- 18.66Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, SIX, the Indian players are on their feet in the dugout! They know all about what Tilak Varma can do and are watching another fine display from the left-hander here. Nerves of steel this guy. Slower length ball angled away wide of off, he hangs back, reaches out and slaps it over wide long-off for a remarkable six
- 18.44Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, short ball, Tilak swivels across, pulls it behind square and there's no one in the deep to cut it off. What a turnaround this is - just 17 needed now off 8 balls. Slipping away from New Zealand at the death
- 18.24Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, misfield from Phillips and it sneaks through for four! Slower short ball, he pulls fiercely to the right of deep midwicket where Phillips gets to it but the ball goes right through as he dives across
- 18.14Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, that's not where he intended the ball to go at all, but India aren't complaning! Problems for New Zealand here! Attempted yorker at the stumps, Tilak goes down for a premeditated scoop, gets a thick edge and instead of going over short fine, it goes over short third
- 17.54Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, proving to be a very costly over. Loose delivery - a full toss outside off and it's belted away wide of mid-off where Santner's diving effort is in vain
- 17.34Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, now Tilak's turn to find the boundary as the Indian fans find their voice again. Equation down to 35 of 15. Slower one slanted away wide of off, he steps across the stumps, goes deep in the crease and pulls wide of long-on
- 17.16Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, SIX, India still not out of it. Lively punch of the gloves between Reddy and Tilak as the former launches this down the ground for six. It's a slower one floated up in the slot, he hangs back in the crease and whacks it over mid-off
- 15.14Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, FOUR, in the slot from Smith, Reddy says thank you very much and lofts it over mid-off who is in the ring. Such a gift with the field he's got!
- 14.5WMitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, out Caught by Glenn Phillips!! This is just top bowling from Santner and Dhir lets out a big groan in frustration as he couldn't stop himself from going for the big shot. Again that teasing flight on a wide line outside off at 75kph. Dhir did well to not go chasing after one such delivery earlier in the over, but he takes the bait this time. Tries lofting inside-out but miscues it straight to extra cover. Was the last over from the New Zealand captain - surely he could've seen him off. But no, not to be and India sink further. Naman Dhir c Glenn Phillips b Mitchell Santner 31(17) [4s-1 6s-3]
- 13.66Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, SIX, Naman Dhir on fire out there! Everything's just flying off his bat, such has been the timing. Dragged down short, holds in the pitch but he waits for it before pulling it all the way over deep midwicket
- 13.4OTeam milestoneMichael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, 1 run, length bal turning in towards off, Naman leans back and cuts it through point
- 13.24Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, FOUR, shimmies down, the length is on the shorter side, not what he's looking for but he still manages to adjust beautifully. His wrists come to the rescue as he whips it over midwicket. Four more!
- 12.66Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, SIX, he's picked the bones out of that! Oh Bevon Jacobs, don't get anywhere near Santner now. Dropped a sitter earlier - how costly would it be? Floated up at the stumps, in the zone for a step-hit and Naman Dhir launches it over the sightscreen
- 11.16Lockie Ferguson to Naman Dhir, SIX, the timing on that - absolutely sizzling from Naman Dhir! Shows the kind of form he's in. Back of a length around the left hip, he opens the hip nicely, manages to pull despite the length not being very short and it flies over fine leg
- 10.5WMitchell Santner to Axar Patel, out Caught by Daryl Mitchell!! Superb tag-team catch and it's another wicket for Santner and New Zealand. India crumbling in Christchurch. It's lofted down the ground after stepping out, seems to be clearing the ropes but Allen intervenes, running across from long-on to take the catch before flicking it back to a converging fielder before going over the ropes. Everything coming together here for the hosts. Axar Patel c Daryl Mitchell b Mitchell Santner 11(9) [6s-1]
- 10.3WMitchell Santner to Shreyas Iyer, out Bowled!! He's done him in the drift. Absolutely brilliant from Santner who looks to have really enjoyed this dismissal, pumping both his fists in celebration. Round the wicket, drifts in sharply and goes past the inside edge as Iyer looks to slog across the line. He slowed it up at 80kph and beat the batter in the air. Shreyas Iyer b Mitchell Santner 7(11)
- 9.56Michael Bracewell to Axar Patel, SIX, much-needed strike from Axar! Drifting in at the stumps, lands on a good length and he whacks it across the line over midwicket, clearing the boundary fairly comfortably. Got a good stride in and despite not being to the pitch, was able to make clean contact
- 8.4WMitchell Santner to Abhishek Sharma, out Caught by Nathan Smith!! That's been hit into the wind, and he has holed out at deep midwicket. Needed a good hit on that side with the wind against him. Was probably the longer part of the ground too. But he couldn't quite get it off the middle, and Smith does well, keeping his cool with the rope behind him and hanging onto it. Was fired in full on the pads at 90kph, he cleared the front leg for a big slog, but couldn't get the desired result. India in trouble here. Abhishek Sharma c Nathan Smith b Mitchell Santner 27(21) [4s-3 6s-1]
- 7.1OTeam fiftyMichael Bracewell to Abhishek Sharma, 1 run, floated up on a length just outside off, hint of turn, Abhishek hangs back and punches it through the covers
- 6.2WNathan Smith to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, out Caught by Daryl Mitchell!! Never looked comfortable in the middle and he's gone this time! Another hard length delivery, it's angled across off and Sooryavanshi gets it nowhere close to the middle as he goes for a booming drive. The ball goes quickly and low to the cover fielder who takes a smart catch. Disappointment for the 15 year old. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi c Daryl Mitchell b Nathan Smith 4(8)
- 5.1DDropped catchMichael Bracewell to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 2 runs, lost in the lights? Vaibhav sliced the lofted drive off the cue end and it should have been an easy catch to Jacobs at backward point. Hair-pulling stuff for the bowler and Santner is livid with the fielder. Jacobs ran back and indicated that the lights put him off. Did not even get a hand to it...
- 4.4WJacob Duffy to Sanju Samson, out Caught by Glenn Phillips!! Back of the hand slower ball from Jacob Duffy. Samson looked very one dimensional today and you do not succeed too often with that tactic in an international T20. He backed away looking to go big and ended up slicing the slog high into the night sky, offering catching practice for Phillips at cover point. Sanju Samson c Glenn Phillips b Jacob Duffy 14(17) [4s-1 6s-1]
- 3.44Lockie Ferguson to Abhishek Sharma, no ball, FOUR, slower full ball outside off, Abhishek smokes it down the ground and clears mid-on comfortably. It's a no ball from Lockie Ferguson and we have another freehit coming up
- 3.44Lockie Ferguson to Abhishek Sharma, FOUR, to long-on
- 3.16Lockie Ferguson to Sanju Samson, SIX, Santner catches it, but the momentum took him over the ropes! Length ball angling in towards the stumps, Samson lofts it off the bottom half of the bat towards long-off. Santner did well to follow the trajectory, collect it with both hands, but as soon as he took control of the catch, he stepped on the ropes and ended up landing awkwardly outside the ropes
- 2.56Matt Henry to Abhishek Sharma, SIX, down the ground and bam! Abhishek advances and lofts the fuller delivery up and over extra cover with impeccable timing
- 2.14Matt Henry to Sanju Samson, FOUR, stand and deliver! That's how Samson loves to roll. Exposed all his sticks, saw the ball a bit full and then thumped it back over the bowler's head to open his account
- 1.64Jacob Duffy to Abhishek Sharma, FOUR, mistimed again! Shorter in length and Abhishek's slog finds the thick leading edge flying away in the gap between the keeper and short third. Jacob Duffy shook his head in disbelief after being informed about the no ball earlier in the over. Even Nathan Smith felt the pinch as well...
- 1.54Jacob Duffy to Abhishek Sharma, FOUR, length ball outside off, Abhishek wanted to slog hard and ended up getting enough power to get it over mid-off for India's first boundary of the game
- 1.5WJacob Duffy to Abhishek Sharma, out Caught by Nathan Smith!! Was that a no ball? Abhishek Sharma c Nathan Smith b Jacob Duffy 1(4)
- Shreyas Iyer 2/2: [On India's fielding effort and the importance of preventing the opposition from taking twos] I think that was the message passed on to each and every player in the team, that you got to anticipate every ball that is coming to you, and just believe that you’re going to give singles, and just see to it that you’re running into the ball so that, you know, the opponents, they think twice about running twos. [On India's next destination and the team's progress in the series] Thank you so much. Job is still half done.
- Under pressure with the odds against you, if there's one man you want in the middle it's Tilak Varma. Remarkable ability from the Hyderabad boy to deliver in crunch situations time and again, and today he just sneaked one out of the jaws of defeat for India. New Zealand will wonder what they have to do to get over the line against a team that just seems to have the wood over them. Next up we move from Christchurch to Wellington for the third T20I. Will see you there for all the action. For now, it's a goodbye from Sagar Chawla on behalf of Siva, Pradeep Krishnamurthy and Raju Peethala.
- Shreyas Iyer | India captain: [On India's win under pressure and the team's ability to produce match-winners] Yes, absolutely. I feel that every individual in our game is a match winner, and today we saw the example of that. Like, honestly speaking, when we lost wickets, consecutive wickets especially, we thought that the game was going away from us. But Tilak and Reddy, they showed immense character, and also a great cameo by Naman Dhir. [On Naman Dhir's contribution and his all-round abilities] We saw him in a couple of games back home against West Indies. He’s a phenomenal bowler as well, and once you get both the parts covered in terms of batting and bowling, I think he brings in a lot of character, and also when you see him move around in the field, he basically, he’s a comprehensive player. [On the challenge posed by New Zealand's spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell and India's approach during the chase] I think we played a lot of dot balls initially, and that basically piled up the run rate as well, and also when we went in, we wanted to actually cruise, but they bowled amazing, especially Bracewell and Santner, the way they controlled the game in the middle. It wasn’t easy to strike the ball, but I think if we would have picked up the gaps and tried to find boundaries, we could have easily cruised. But unfortunate. You know, it happens. Just another day, and I’m sure that we’ll bounce back pretty strong.
- Santner 2/2: [On the batting effort and the partnerships between Bevon Jacobs and Glenn Phillips after losing early wickets] Obviously GP’s done it for a long time now, and I think even Bev, they played the situation beautifully. We lost three early and then they kind of built. I think we were only 60-odd after 10, but then I think it’s one of those surfaces where if you give yourself a chance, give yourself some balls, you can kind of cash in with the power of those two. I thought they played very well. And then, I mean, I blocked a couple of them, but Beast (Bracewell), you know, even 10 off two there to get us up to 180. [On Matt Henry being off the field and the possibility of injuries or rotation during the series] I think it’s precautionary, and I think Lockie went off as well. So hopefully those guys scrub up okay. But I think with the quick turnarounds throughout the series and in the one-days, there could be a bit of rotation. I think that’s just what it’s going to have to be.
- Henry went off the field midway during that innings with some issue and couldn't complete his quota. Ferguson wasn't on the field for the last couple of overs either.
- Mitchell Santner | New Zealand Captain: [On another close defeat and the fine margins against a strong opposition] I mean, you play a very good team. It’s always going to be like that, I think. Tilak and Naman and then obviously Reddy at the end, really played pretty well. I think if we got one more wicket there, it was kind of game over. So the way they controlled that chase and, I guess, made us make some errors at the end. [On the impact of the spinners and whether he considered other bowling options, including Glenn Phillips] There’s plenty going through my mind. I think obviously the way the guys started with the ball, outstanding, I think. A score like 180, if they get off to a flyer with the power play, it’s pretty tough from there. So I thought we did pretty well to claw them back, and then obviously through the middle, Beast (Bracewell) is bowling extremely well, and it was nice to get a few poles. I think, you know, a couple of no-balls, obviously no-ball wicket and stuff like that along the way, that obviously hurts you. And I think that from a skills point of view, it’s been very good the last two games. It’s just kind of those little moments where whether it’s in the field or kind of those little sloppy stuff that’s going to hurt us a little bit.
- Stats by Roshan Gede Highest stands for 7th wicket or lower in successful T20I chases (FM teams) 82 - Afif Hossain & Mosaddek Hossain (BAN) vs ZIM, Mirpur, 2019 69* - Chamika Karunaratne & Dasun Shanaka (SL) vs AUS, Pallekele, 2022 69* - Tilak Varma & Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 64* - Wayne Parnell & Rusty Theron (SA) vs AUS, Johannesburg, 2011 59* - Yusuf Pathan & Irfan Pathan (IND) vs SL, Colombo (RPS), 2009 Tilak Varma in Overs 16-20 in T20s in 2026 Runs: 470 Balls: 203 Dismissals: 10 SR: 231.52 Bnd %: 33.99 4s/6s: 32/37 Of the 105 batters to have faced at least 75 balls in this phase this year (where data available), Tilak has the highest strike-rate. India’s chase Overs 1-6: 44/1, RR: 7.33 Overs 7-15: 69/5, RR: 7.66 Overs 16-19.5: 68/0, RR: 14.06 NZ bowling today Pace: 2/123 in 11.5 overs, ER: 10.39 Spin: 4/56 in 8 overs, ER: 7 NZ’s bowling in the series so far Pace: 4/277 in 23.3 overs, ER: 11.78, Avg: 69.25 Spin: 8/132 in 16 overs, ER: 8.25, Avg: 16.5 Highest successful chases after being 5 down ≤ 70 in T20Is 204 from 53/5 - PNG vs Singapore, 2022 181 from 70/5 - IND vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 174 from 40/5 - SL vs AUS, Geelong, 2017 173 from 40/5 - PAK vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2015 172 from 65/5 - Romania vs Austria, Iflov County, 2025
- Tilak Varma | Player of the Match - (What was the mindset after losing 5 wickets) No, at that stage I was just thinking about playing till the end. Just before today’s game, I was talking with coach Gautam sir and Sitanshu Kotak Sir. I was talking with both of them, and they said one thing that we all believe, and the whole India believes in you. If you stay till the end, then you will win the game for us. So that’s what was going through my mind. I wanted to take the game as deep as possible, and at the end of the day, again, what everyone has believed and have done. So I’m really proud of myself. (On the partnership with Naman Dhir) I was telling Naman that we’ll stay till the end, and especially the wicket was slightly slower today, compared to the last game. So I was telling Naman that we’ll push hard in running between the wickets when spinners were bowling. So that’s what our plan was, and we pushed hard when they were bowling, and unfortunately Naman got out in the last over of Mitchell Santner. Otherwise, I think we would have finished the game in 19th over, sorry, 18th over. So credit goes to Naman as well, the way he batted, but after that, you know, the Hyderabadi boys are in play today, Nitish Reddy and myself, and we are really happy that we finished the game. (On batting out the spinners) Definitely there was a plan like that, but we thought that we’ll put that intent when they bowl in our arc. We’ll go. Otherwise, we want to just push it in the gaps and we want to run hard. And we have done that. I think, I think four to five two runs we have got in spinners. So they were really crucial, those eight to ten runs. So I think we played smartly there, and later on we know that we can hit sixes against the fast bowlers. We needed that pace in this huge ground. So we were waiting for that, and we finished off in style.
- Stats by Roshan Gede Highest 7th wicket stands in successful T20I chases (FM teams) 82 - Afif Hossain & Mosaddek Hossain (BAN) vs ZIM, Mirpur, 2019 69* - Chamika Karunaratne & Dasun Shanaka (SL) vs AUS, Pallekele, 2022 69* - Tilak Varma & Nitish Kumar Reddy (IND) vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 64* - Wayne Parnell & Rusty Theron (SA) vs AUS, Johannesburg, 2011 59* - Yusuf Pathan & Irfan Pathan (IND) vs SL, Colombo (RPS), 2009 Tilak Varma in Overs 16-20 in T20s in 2026 : Runs: 470 Balls: 203 Dismissals: 10 SR: 231.52 Bnd%: 33.99 4s/6s: 32/37 Of the 105 batters to have faced at least 75 balls in this phase this year (where data available), Tilak has the highest strike-rate. India’s chase Overs 1-6: 44/1, RR: 7.33 Overs 7-15: 69/5, RR: 7.66 Overs 16-19.5: 68/0, RR: 14.06 NZ bowling today Pace: 2/123 in 11.5 overs, ER: 10.39 Spin: 4/56 in 8 overs, ER: 7 NZ’s bowling in the series so far Pace: 4/277 in 23.3 overs, ER: 11.78, Avg: 69.25 Spin: 8/132 in 16 overs, ER: 8.25, Avg: 16.5 Highest successful chases after being 5 down ≤ 70 in T20Is 204 from 53/5 - PNG vs Singapore, 2022 181 from 70/5 - IND vs NZ, Christchurch, 2026 174 from 40/5 - SL vs AUS, Geelong, 2017 173 from 40/5 - PAK vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2015 172 from 65/5 - Romania vs Austria, Iflov County, 2025
- 23:44 Local Time, 10:44 GMT, 16:14 IST: New Zealand will wonder how that slipped away. After Santner got rid of Naman Dhir, the game seemed to be in their bag. India needed close to 70 in the last five overs at that stage with just four wickets in hand, and none of their batters looked like getting a hold of the pitch, except Dhir. Conditions were different in comparison to the first game with the ball not coming on as well. There wasn't much dew on the outfield either. But as Tilak Varma has already done a number of times in his young career so far, he came clutch under pressure and turned it on in some style. He took the attack to Duffy and Smith who crumbled at the death, not getting their execution right and all the hard work done by Santner, who was brilliant for his 4/21, came undone. It just looks like this Indian team has got the wood over the Kiwis with the kind of record they've built up against them in the recent past. The belief is there, even to come back from losing positions and get over the line. Stay tuned, we'll have the presentations shortly..
- Over 20 · 11 runs (1 4 2 1 wd 2)
- 19.52Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, remarkable turnaround here in Christchurch as India go 2-0 up in the series! Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy the heroes for the visitors as they come back from nowhere to seal the win. Full toss on the pads, it's flicked away into the gap and they get back for two as the crowd erupts
- 19.5wdJacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, wide, another bumper, goes past the attempted ramp, beating Reddy for pace but hang on ... the striker's end umpire feels it's too high. She spreads her arms to signal a wide. 2 needed off 2 - Duffy shakes his head as he walks back. Reddy was immediately asking for a wide and was searching to see where the umpire was. He looked at square leg but the ump was at point, giving the decision in his favour
- 19.41Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 1 run, again he goes short outside off, Tilak doesn't get hold of it, cuts it in the air but it lands short of sweeper cover. Over to Reddy
- 19.32Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, banged in short outside off, rushes Tilak on the pull and he mistimes it down to long-on. He was taking it a little easy on the second run, thinking the throw won't come to his end but then turned around and realised he had to put in the dive to make it back. Fifty up for him, job not done though
- 19.24Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, full and wide, misses with his execution and Tilak absolutely blasts it away through extra cover. Might've been going for the wide yorker but ended up offering it right in the slot
- Santner, Duffy and Mitchell having a chat about the field. Square leg comes in the ring, mid-off is in, so is third man
- 19.11Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, banged in short, Reddy pulls hard but it goes straight to deep midwicket on the bounce
- Last over, 11 to get for India, and New Zealand have been penalised for their slow over-rate. Need an extra fielder in the ring
- End of over 19 · 18 runs (4 4 0 4 0 6)IND 170/6Tilak Varma 44(23) · Nitish Kumar Reddy 23(11) · Nathan Smith 3-0-34-1
- 18.66Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, SIX, the Indian players are on their feet in the dugout! They know all about what Tilak Varma can do and are watching another fine display from the left-hander here. Nerves of steel this guy. Slower length ball angled away wide of off, he hangs back, reaches out and slaps it over wide long-off for a remarkable six
- 18.5•Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, no run, comes charging down the pitch but ends up getting yorked by Smith who slants it away and beats him on the way to the keeper
- 18.44Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, short ball, Tilak swivels across, pulls it behind square and there's no one in the deep to cut it off. What a turnaround this is - just 17 needed now off 8 balls. Slipping away from New Zealand at the death
- 18.3•Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, no run, some respite for the hosts as Smith sneaks in a dot. Slower bouncer wide of off, he reaches out to cut but misses
- 18.24Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, misfield from Phillips and it sneaks through for four! Slower short ball, he pulls fiercely to the right of deep midwicket where Phillips gets to it but the ball goes right through as he dives across
- 18.14Nathan Smith to Tilak Varma, FOUR, that's not where he intended the ball to go at all, but India aren't complaning! Problems for New Zealand here! Attempted yorker at the stumps, Tilak goes down for a premeditated scoop, gets a thick edge and instead of going over short fine, it goes over short third
- Nathan Smith [2.0-0-16-1] is back into the attack
- End of over 18 · 17 runs (6 1 4 wd 0 4 1)IND 152/6Tilak Varma 26(17) · Nitish Kumar Reddy 23(11) · Jacob Duffy 3-0-30-1
- 17.61Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, 1 run, slower short ball just outside off, and it's a scorching pull shot from Tilak. Unfortunately for him, it's straight to deep midwicket, on the bounce
- 17.54Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, proving to be a very costly over. Loose delivery - a full toss outside off and it's belted away wide of mid-off where Santner's diving effort is in vain
- 17.4•Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, no run, oh well bowled. Nails the wide yorker this time and there's nothing Tilak can do about it. He swings and misses!
- 17.4wdJacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, wide, way too wide outside off with this attempted wide yorker, it almost landed outside the pitch, Tilak lets it go
- 17.34Jacob Duffy to Tilak Varma, FOUR, now Tilak's turn to find the boundary as the Indian fans find their voice again. Equation down to 35 of 15. Slower one slanted away wide of off, he steps across the stumps, goes deep in the crease and pulls wide of long-on
- 17.21Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, he groans in frustration. Wanted to do a lot more with this short ball than pulling it to deep midwicket for a single
- 17.16Jacob Duffy to Nitish Reddy, SIX, India still not out of it. Lively punch of the gloves between Reddy and Tilak as the former launches this down the ground for six. It's a slower one floated up in the slot, he hangs back in the crease and whacks it over mid-off
- Jacob Duffy [2.0-0-13-1] is back into the attack
- End of over 17 · 9 runs (1 2 2 1 1 2)IND 135/6Tilak Varma 17(13) · Nitish Kumar Reddy 16(9) · Lockie Ferguson 3-0-37-0
- 16.62Lockie Ferguson to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, another very awkward-looking shot as Ferguson bangs it in halfway down the pitch. It's a short ball angling away from off, Tilak is in no position to pull but somehow makes contact and gets it into the gap at midwicket
- 16.51Lockie Ferguson to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, that's as awkward a pull shot as you can get. 144kph short ball, rushes him for pace and he's almost swaying out of the way while going for the shot. Ends up dragging it to deep midwicket
- 16.41Lockie Ferguson to Tilak Varma, 1 run, slower short ball, pulled to deep midwicket
- 16.32Lockie Ferguson to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, slower one that follows Tilak as he backs away to the leg-side. He clips it through midwicket and is back for two
- 16.22Lockie Ferguson to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, miscued in the air off the toe-end, the fielder gets around in the deep but it lands wide of him. Tilak early through the slog with Ferguson hitting a good length at 140kph. Could only drag it wide of deep midwicket
- 16.11Lockie Ferguson to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, bashed in on a short of length, Reddy rides the bounce and dabs down to third man. Oh he wants the second run which is just not on. Came almost halfway down before having to turn back with Tilak not interested. Throw comes in to the keeper who makes a direct hit at the bowler's end but the dive saves Reddy. Both Reddy and Tilak are conversing in Telugu now. Tilak was heard saying "Nenu mundu vachina, malla ninnu chusi venakaochina" (I thought of coming for the second, but I turned back on seeing you - perhaps Nitish was late to complete the single between the two as Tilak was early to get off the blocks running towards the striker's end).
- Lockie Ferguson [2.0-0-28-0] is back into the attack
- End of over 16 · 13 runs (4 2 2 2 2 1)IND 126/6Nitish Kumar Reddy 14(7) · Tilak Varma 10(9) · Nathan Smith 2-0-16-1
- 15.6Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, short ball, pulled away through square leg
- 15.5Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, slower dipping full toss, Reddy is deceived initially but he does well to adjust. He reaches out in front of the body and swipes it through the on-side
- 15.4Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, Santner's over-enthusiasm costs his team a run. Good length on off, it's punched down to long-on but he comes charging across from mid-off trying to make a sliding stop. Ends up misfielding and conceding the extra run
- 15.4Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 1 run
- 4-wicket hauls for spinners vs India in T20Is 4/9 - Wanindu Hasaranga, Colombo (RPS), 2021 4/11 - Mitchell Santner, Nagpur, 2016 4/20 - Daniel Vettori, Johannesburg, 2007 4/20 - Gerhard Erasmus, Delhi, 2026 4/21 - Mitchell Santner, Christchurch, 2026
- 15.3Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, slower bumper, he looks to pull but drags it without much timing through the on-side, back for two
- 15.2Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, 2 runs, slower off-cutter, it's back of a length on middle and leg and Reddy tucks it gently through the gap at square leg for two
- 15.14Nathan Smith to Nitish Reddy, FOUR, in the slot from Smith, Reddy says thank you very much and lofts it over mid-off who is in the ring. Such a gift with the field he's got!
- Nathan Smith [1.0-0-3-1] is back into the attack
- STAT: Santner is the first bowler with multiple 4-fers against India in T20Is. The first had come in Nagpur during the T20 World Cup 2016, his 4/11 helping NZ defend 126/7 then.
- End of over 15 · 6 runs (1 1 2 1 W 1) · 1 wktIND 113/6Nitish Kumar Reddy 1(1) · Tilak Varma 10(9) · Mitchell Santner 4-0-21-4
- 14.61Mitchell Santner to Nitish Reddy, 1 run, nicely tossed up, Reddy knocks it down to long-off
- Nitish Kumar Reddy, right handed bat, comes to the crease
- 14.5WMitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, out Caught by Glenn Phillips!! This is just top bowling from Santner and Dhir lets out a big groan in frustration as he couldn't stop himself from going for the big shot. Again that teasing flight on a wide line outside off at 75kph. Dhir did well to not go chasing after one such delivery earlier in the over, but he takes the bait this time. Tries lofting inside-out but miscues it straight to extra cover. Was the last over from the New Zealand captain - surely he could've seen him off. But no, not to be and India sink further. Naman Dhir c Glenn Phillips b Mitchell Santner 31(17) [4s-1 6s-3]
- Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
- 14.41Mitchell Santner to Tilak Varma, 1 run, 95kph, darted into the pads, and it's pulled to deep backward square
- 14.32Mitchell Santner to Tilak Varma, 2 runs, length ball fired into the pads at 92kph, Tilak nudges it gently through square leg, places it in a pocket and is back for two
- 14.21Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, 1 run, teasing flight outside off, tries luring him into a rash shot but Naman Dhir keeps his cool, waits for the ball and cuts wide of point
- 14.11Mitchell Santner to Tilak Varma, 1 run, flat on leg, Tilak hangs back and tucks it around the corner, handing it back to Naman who is on a roll
- End of over 14 · 15 runs (1 4 2 1 1 6)IND 107/5Naman Dhir 30(15) · Tilak Varma 6(6) · Michael Bracewell 4-0-35-0
- 13.66Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, SIX, Naman Dhir on fire out there! Everything's just flying off his bat, such has been the timing. Dragged down short, holds in the pitch but he waits for it before pulling it all the way over deep midwicket
- 13.51Michael Bracewell to Tilak Varma, 1 run, well wide outside off, Tilak cuts to sweeper cover
- 13.41Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, 1 run, length bal turning in towards off, Naman leans back and cuts it through point
- 13.32Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, 2 runs, bottom hand comes off on the drive as he creams it to the left of long-on after taking it on the full
- 13.24Michael Bracewell to Naman Dhir, FOUR, shimmies down, the length is on the shorter side, not what he's looking for but he still manages to adjust beautifully. His wrists come to the rescue as he whips it over midwicket. Four more!
- 13.11Michael Bracewell to Tilak Varma, 1 run, floated up in the slot, driven to long-off
- Michael Bracewell [3.0-0-20-0] is back into the attack
- End of over 13 · 8 runs (0 0 2 0 0 6)IND 92/5Naman Dhir 17(11) · Tilak Varma 4(4) · Mitchell Santner 3-0-15-3
- 12.66Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, SIX, he's picked the bones out of that! Oh Bevon Jacobs, don't get anywhere near Santner now. Dropped a sitter earlier - how costly would it be? Floated up at the stumps, in the zone for a step-hit and Naman Dhir launches it over the sightscreen
- 12.5•Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, no run, the width isn't there, he looks to cut and mistimes it to backward point
- 12.4•Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, no run, drifting in at the stumps, he looks to sweep and drags it off the under-edge to backward square leg. There's a referral for a run-out but Naman Dhir was safely back after leaving the crease briefly
- 12.32Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, 2 runs, driven firmly through extra cover, charges back for two
- Iyer vs Santner in T20s: 71 off 63, two dismissals, SR: 112.69
- 12.2•Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, no run, pushed to backward point, along the ground this time
- 12.1•Mitchell Santner to Naman Dhir, no run, oh dear, Jacobs puts down an absolute sitter! He missed on earlier as well and blamed it on the lights. Not sure he can blame anything else but himself here. Santner just turns around and walks back to his mark. Beautiful bowling, tosses it up, draws him forward on the drive and he slices it to backward point. Absolutel dolly slips through the palms
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