What a night in Raipur! India chased down New Zealand’s imposing 208/6 with 7 wickets and 28 balls to spare in the second T20I, surging to a 2-0 lead. The heroes? Ishan Kishan’s 76 and Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 82, forging partnerships that dismantled the Kiwi total.
New Zealand’s innings had fireworks from the outset. Conway (19 off 9) and Seifert (24 off 13) raced to 43/1. After early strikes left them 43/2, Ravindra (44 off 26: 4 sixes) and Phillips (19) added 55 crucial runs.
Santner steadied the ship with an unbeaten 47 (27 balls, 6 fours, 1 six), guiding NZ to 208/6. Kuldeep Yadav was India’s top bowler with two wickets; others shared the spoils.
Target in sight, India lost openers Samson (6) and Sharma (0) for 6/2. No panic. Kishan and skipper Suryakumar erupted for 122/1 in 48 balls – Kishan’s 32-ball knock laced with 11 fours and 4 sixes.
Suryakumar took over, his 82* off 37 balls a masterclass in acceleration (9×4, 4×6). With Dube’s 36* (18 balls, 4 boundaries), their 81* partnership off 37 balls sealed a breezy win at 212/3.
NZ’s Henry, Duffy, and Sodhi picked a wicket each, but couldn’t stem the tide. This performance reaffirms India’s status as T20 world-beaters, with Surya’s captaincy knock proving pivotal. The series momentum is firmly with the hosts.