India pulled off a dramatic four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I in Christchurch, thanks to a match-winning unbeaten partnership between Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. The duo put together 69 runs for the seventh wicket to overturn a difficult chase and give India a 2-0 advantage in the five-match series.
The hosts had India under pressure for most of the run chase, but Varma and Reddy held their nerve when the match appeared to be slipping away. Reddy arrived at the crease after Naman Dhir was dismissed on the fifth delivery of the 15th over. Dhir had played a key role in India’s successful finish in the series opener, and his departure forced the incoming pair to reassess their approach.
Varma, who was named Player of the Match, said India might have completed the chase in the penultimate over had Dhir remained at the crease. According to Varma, the batters had discussed a plan to finish the game before the final over, but the wicket changed the course of their strategy.
India entered the final five overs needing to accelerate sharply, with the required run rate at 13.60. The pressure increased further as the asking rate rose to 15.33 after the 17th over. However, the visitors struck back in spectacular fashion, taking 17 runs off Jacob Duffy in the 18th over.
The momentum swung decisively in India’s favour when Varma and Reddy collected another 18 runs against Nathan Smith in the next over. That left India needing only 11 runs from the final over. Reddy brought the chase to a close by guiding the second delivery into the gap between deep mid-wicket and deep backward square leg, with the pair running two to complete the victory.
New Zealand had earlier made an impressive start with the ball, as Matt Henry and Duffy kept India’s scoring in check. Duffy appeared to have removed opener Abhishek Sharma in the second over, with a catch taken at deep square leg, but the dismissal was overturned after the delivery was called a no-ball. Abhishek made the most of the reprieve, striking boundaries off the next two balls.
India’s opening pair of Abhishek and Sanju Samson added 40 runs before Duffy dismissed Samson in the fifth over. Samson scored 14 off 17 deliveries, leaving India looking for a stronger contribution from the middle order.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was promoted to No. 3, batting outside the opening positions for the first time in his young international career. The move did not yield the desired result, as the teenager managed only four runs from eight deliveries before Nathan Smith dismissed him. India eventually recovered from the early setbacks through Varma and Reddy’s decisive late assault to secure the win.