Varma leads India fightback in four-wicket victory over New Zealand
Tilak Varma hit an unbeaten 51 and Nitish Kumar Reddy finished the chase as India recovered from 70-5 to take a 2-0 series lead.
- On Saturday, October 24, 2026, India secured a four-wicket win in the second T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, powered by Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 and Nitish Kumar Reddy's 26, establishing a 2-0 series lead.
- Earlier, Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs anchored New Zealand's recovery from 41-3 to post 180-5, sharing a 116-run fourth-wicket partnership that set a competitive target for India's chase.
- Captain Mitchell Santner's 4-21 spell devastated India's middle order, reducing the tourists to 112-6 and threatening to derail the chase before Varma and Reddy's late counterattack.
- The Christchurch match marked India's 300th T20I appearance, making them only the second team after Pakistan to reach this milestone; India leads the five-match series 2-0 heading into Tuesday's third T20I in Wellington.
- "I think if we got one more wicket there, it was really game over," Santner said, reflecting on New Zealand's narrow loss while India's bowling unit faces scrutiny over rhythm and length issues.
77 Articles
77 Articles
Tilak and Reddy guide India to 4-wicket win over New Zealand with 1 ball left in 2nd cricket T20
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Tilak Varma made an unbeaten 51 from 26 balls to guide India to a four-wicket win over New Zealand with only one delivery to spare Saturday in the second Twenty20 cricket international. India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. It won the opener by four wickets with two
Varma leads India fightback in four-wicket victory over New Zealand
India's middle-order batter Tilak Varma hammered a half-century off 25 balls as India chased down a target of 181 with a ball to spare, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match Twenty20 series with New Zealand on Saturday.
How Gautam Gambhir's inspiring message powered Tilak Varma's Christchurch heroics
India vice-captain Tilak Varma was proud of his match-winning effort against New Zealand, revealing that head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had backed him to take India home, telling him that the whole country believed in him.
Late India charge seals thrilling second T20 win over New Zealand
The tourists scored 68 runs from the last 4.5 overs in Christchurch to clinch victory with a ball to spare, having looked down and out when they were reduced to 70-5 in the 11th over, in pursuit of 181. Tilak carved 51 not out off 26 balls while Nitish Kumar Reddy struck the winning runs in an unbeaten 26 off 13 to hand India control of the five-match series. The result matched their four-wicket win in the opening match at the same Hagley Oval v…
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