India beat New Zealand by 4 wickets in thriller

CHRISTCHURCH India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20 international on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after a thrilling chase completed with one ball remaining. Chasing New Zealand’s 180 for five, India recovered from 112 for six through an unbeaten partnership between Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Tilak scored 51 not out off 26 balls, while Nitish contributed 26 not out from 13 deliveries. Their unbroken 69-run stand for the seventh wicket came off just 30 balls. Naman Dhir also played a crucial role, scoring 31 from 17 deliveries to keep India in contention. Tilak struck six fours and a six, while Nitish supported the finish with a boundary and a six as the visitors completed the chase. Earlier, New Zealand recovered from a difficult start after being put in to bat. Glenn Phillips scored 70 off 43 balls, while Bevon Jacobs made 58 from 46 deliveries. The pair added 116 runs for the fourth wicket to help the hosts reach 180 for five. India’s Arshdeep Singh led the bowling effort with figures of two for 33. Prince Yadav claimed one wicket for 30 runs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 50 runs for one wicket. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was the most successful bowler for the hosts, taking four wickets for 21 runs. However, his effort was not enough to prevent India from securing victory. India’s chase began with the dismissal of Sanju Samson for 14 by Jacob Duffy, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell for four to Nathan Smith. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls, including three fours and a six, before Santner dismissed him. India made two changes to their lineup from the opening match, bringing in Sooryavanshi for the injured Ishan Kishan and Prince Yadav for Mayank Yadav. The third T20 international will be played in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27, with India looking to extend their series advantage.