Mumbai: India delivered a breathtaking batting masterclass to crush New Zealand by seven wickets in the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on January 23, racing to a daunting 209-run target in just 15.2 overs. The emphatic win handed the Men in Blue a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, following their 48-run victory in the opening encounter.
Chasing 209, India were rocked early as Matt Henry removed Sanju Samson for six in the opening over, before Jacob Duffy dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. Reduced to 8/2 inside two overs, the hosts appeared under pressure, but what followed was a ruthless counter-attack that completely turned the game on its head.
Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav launched a ferocious assault on the New Zealand bowling, adding 122 runs in rapid time to seize control of the chase. By the fifth over, India had already surged to 54, with Kishan leading the charge. The left-hander brought up a stunning half-century off just 21 balls in the sixth over as India finished the powerplay on 75/2 — their second-highest powerplay total against New Zealand in T20Is.
The record partnership was broken in the 10th over when Ish Sodhi dismissed Kishan, but by then the damage had been done. Kishan’s explosive 76 off 32 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and four sixes, had propelled India to 133/3 at the halfway stage. Moments later, Suryakumar reached his 22nd T20I fifty off 23 deliveries — his first since October 2024 — keeping the pressure firmly on the visitors.
Suryakumar went on to finish unbeaten on a magnificent 82 from 37 balls, striking nine fours and four sixes in a captain’s knock of the highest order. Shivam Dube provided the finishing touches with an aggressive, unbeaten 36 off 18 balls as India cruised to victory with 28 balls to spare.
Earlier, New Zealand had posted an imposing 208/6, riding on valuable contributions from several batters. The innings began with an unwanted record for India as Arshdeep Singh conceded 18 runs in the first over, equalling the most expensive opening over by an Indian bowler in T20Is. The Black Caps raced to 43 without loss in just three overs before Harshit Rana broke the opening stand by dismissing Devon Conway for 19.
Varun Chakaravarthy struck soon after, removing Tim Seifert for 24 with the help of a sharp catch from Ishan Kishan at mid-wicket. New Zealand ended the powerplay at 64/2, but India’s spinners tightened the screws thereafter. Kuldeep Yadav accounted for Glenn Phillips and later dismissed the dangerous Rachin Ravindra, who struck a quick 44 featuring four sixes.
Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya chipped in with wickets as the visitors struggled to maintain momentum through the middle overs. Kuldeep finished as India’s most successful bowler with figures of 2/35, while Pandya, Rana, Chakaravarthy and Dube picked up one wicket each.
New Zealand found late impetus through captain Mitchell Santner, whose unbeaten 47 off 27 balls, along with Zakary Foulkes’ 15, helped push the total past 200. However, the score proved insufficient against India’s explosive batting display, as Kishan and Suryakumar ensured the chase was wrapped up in record time.
With three matches still to be played, India now sit firmly in command of the series, brimming with confidence and firepower.
