Christchurch: Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a match-winning partnership to help India defeat New Zealand by four wickets in a last-ball thriller in the second T20I at Hagley Oval on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing 181, India recovered from a dramatic middle-order collapse to reach 181/6 in 19.5 overs. Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, while Nitish scored an unbeaten 26 off 13 deliveries as the pair added 69 runs for the seventh wicket to seal the victory.
India appeared well placed at 40 without loss before New Zealand’s bowlers turned the contest around. Sanju Samson departed for 17, followed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who managed four runs. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls before falling to Mitchell Santner, who then dismissed captain Shreyas Iyer for 11 and Axar Patel for 11 in the same over.
Santner continued his impressive spell by removing Naman Dhir for a quickfire 31 off 17 balls, leaving India struggling at 112/6 in 14.5 overs. Dhir’s innings included a four and three sixes, briefly keeping the chase alive.
With India needing a substantial contribution from the lower order, Tilak and Nitish took charge. The duo accelerated during the final four overs, collecting 13 runs in the 16th over and following it with a 17-run over against Jacob Duffy.
Tilak found the boundary repeatedly in the penultimate over, striking three fours and a six to bring India closer to the target. He completed his half-century in 25 balls as the equation came down to four runs from the final three deliveries.
After Duffy bowled a wide, Nitish and Tilak ran two runs to put India within touching distance. Nitish then helped complete the chase with a ball remaining, finishing unbeaten on 26, while Tilak’s 51 not out included six fours and a six.
Earlier, New Zealand posted 180/5 after recovering from an early collapse, with Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs leading the fightback through half-centuries.
The hosts lost Tim Seifert for seven, Daryl Mitchell for six and Finn Allen for 16 inside the powerplay, slipping to 43/3. Phillips and Jacobs then combined for a 116-run fourth-wicket partnership to rebuild the innings and put pressure back on India’s bowlers.
Phillips struck 70 off 43 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes, while Jacobs contributed 58 off 46 deliveries, with five fours and a six. Both batters reached their half-centuries as New Zealand crossed 140, but India’s bowlers struck back in the closing overs to prevent a bigger total.
Arshdeep Singh dismissed Phillips in the 18th over before Nitish removed Jacobs in the following over. Michael Bracewell added a six, but Prince Yadav restricted New Zealand to nine runs in the final over.
Arshdeep finished with two wickets, while Prince and Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed one each. Santner was New Zealand’s standout bowler with figures of 4/21, but India’s late recovery ensured the visitors moved two wins ahead in the series.
