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India beat New Zealand by four wickets as Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy finish a tense chase in Christchurch
India chased 181 with a ball to spare at Hagley Oval to win the second T20I by four wickets and lead the five-match series 2-0. Tilak Varma made an unbeaten 51 off 26 and Nitish Kumar Reddy added 26 not out after Mitchell Santner's 4 for 21 had left India 112 for 6.
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India won the second T20I against New Zealand by four wickets at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, 24 October, and lead the five-match series 2-0. Chasing 181, they got home with a ball to spare after being 112 for 6, with Tilak Varma making an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy finishing on 26 not out. Tilak was named Player of the Match.
India's captain, Shreyas Iyer, won the toss and chose to field. India made one change from the first game, bringing in Prince Yadav for Mayank Yadav, which Iyer called a tactical change at the toss. India played Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Sooryavanshi, Iyer, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav. New Zealand, led by Santner, fielded Allen, Seifert, Mitchell, Phillips, Jacobs, Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Duffy and Lockie Ferguson. Ishan Kishan was ruled out of the series with an adductor strain, and Kumar Kushagra was called up as cover.
New Zealand's recovery
New Zealand lost three wickets in the powerplay. Arshdeep Singh had Tim Seifert caught by Tilak Varma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had Daryl Mitchell caught by Tilak, and Prince Yadav bowled Finn Allen with a yorker, which left the home side on 43 for 3 after six overs.
New Zealand – 180/5 (20 ov)
| Batting | R | B | S/R | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Seifertc Tilak Varma b Arshdeep Singh | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 116.67 |
| Finn Allenb Prince Yadav | 16 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 114.29 |
| Daryl Mitchellc Tilak Varma b Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120 |
| Glenn Phillipsc Naman Dhir b Arshdeep Singh | 70 | 43 | 4 | 4 | 162.79 |
| Bevon Jacobsc Axar Patel b Nitish Kumar Reddy | 58 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 126.09 |
| Mitchell Santnernot out | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
| Michael Bracewellnot out | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 500 |
| Nathan Smithdid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Matt Henrydid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jacob Duffydid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lockie Fergusondid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
Extras9 (lb 1, nb 1, w 7)
Total180/5 (20 ov)
| Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 12.5 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 8.25 |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Naman Dhir | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 10.33 |
India – 181/6 (19.5 ov)
| Batting | R | B | S/R | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samsonc Glenn Phillips b Jacob Duffy | 14 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 82.35 |
| Abhishek Sharmac Nathan Smith b Mitchell Santner | 27 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 128.57 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshic Daryl Mitchell b Nathan Smith | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| Shreyas Iyerb Mitchell Santner | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 63.64 |
| Axar Patelc Daryl Mitchell b Mitchell Santner | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 122.22 |
| Tilak Varmanot out | 51 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 196.15 |
| Naman Dhirc Glenn Phillips b Mitchell Santner | 31 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 182.35 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddynot out | 26 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 200 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumardid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Arshdeep Singhdid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prince Yadavdid not bat | – | – | – | – | – |
Extras10 (lb 2, nb 3, w 5)
Total181/6 (19.5 ov)
| Bowling | O | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Henry | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Jacob Duffy | 3.5 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 10.7 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 12.33 |
| Michael Bracewell | 4 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 8.75 |
| Nathan Smith | 3 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 11.33 |
| Mitchell Santner | 4 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 5.25 |
Data last updated: 24 Oct 2026, 6:38 PM IST
Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs then took the innings away from India. The home side's total at the 16-over mark was only 133 for 3, which means 47 runs came from the last four overs, and that surge decided the target. They added 116 for the fourth wicket, with Phillips making 70 off 43 balls with four sixes and Jacobs 58 off 46 balls. India also put down a chance, with Iyer dropping Jacobs off Prince Yadav. Phillips was caught by Naman Dhir off Arshdeep in the 18th over, and Jacobs was caught by Axar Patel off Nitish in the 19th. New Zealand finished on 180 for 5.
Arshdeep took 2 for 33 and Prince Yadav 1 for 30. Bhuvneshwar was the most expensive of the bowlers, with 50 runs from his four overs.
The collapse and the recovery
India began well. They were 44 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, with Sanju Samson out for 14 off 17 balls to Jacob Duffy, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi falling for 4 off 8 balls to Nathan Smith. Abhishek Sharma made 27 off 21 and was reprieved once when a catch was ruled a no-ball after a front-foot check. The two sides were level at the end of the powerplay, New Zealand on 43 for 3 and India on 44 for 1, and over the whole match the rates were almost the same, about 9.0 an over for New Zealand and about 9.1 for India.
Then the match turned on the New Zealand captain. Mitchell Santner took Abhishek, Iyer, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir, finishing with 4 for 21, and India were 112 for 6 in the 15th over. Dhir's 31 off 17 balls, with three sixes, had kept the chase alive, and he survived a dropped catch by Jacobs off Santner on the way, but his dismissal left India needing about 70 from the last five overs with four wickets in hand. Matt Henry had begun the chase with a maiden over, and no Indian batter after the powerplay found it easy to score against the spin.
Tilak and Nitish finish it
Tilak Varma got to his fifty off 25 balls with six fours and a six, and Nitish Kumar Reddy hit with him. At the end of the 18th over India were 152 for 6, with Tilak on 26 off 17 and Nitish on 23 off 11, so the pair had added about 40 in two overs. Tilak then hit 18 off an over from Nathan Smith, and India were 170 for 6 after 19 overs with 11 still to get. The two shared an unbeaten stand of 69 for the seventh wicket, which has been described as one of the highest seventh-wicket stands in a successful T20I chase by a full-member side. India needed 11 off the last over, bowled by Duffy, and Nitish hit the winning runs off the fifth ball.
For New Zealand, the story was the catches India took and the one they dropped. For India, the chase was a lesson in how a batting line-up that loses its top order to a spinner can still win if the lower middle order refuses to panic. The series continues with three matches to go, and India now need one more win to take it.
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