India Crush New Zealand by 7 Wickets, Take Commanding 2-0 T20I Series Lead

With this commanding win, the Men in Blue have a 2-0 lead in the high-voltage five-match T20I series against the Black Caps. Earlier, the hosts won the opening contest by 48 runs, with opener Abhishek Sharma winning the Player of the Match for his blistering half-century.

Chasing a daunting 209-run target, the hosts started on a poor note. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson departed in the very first over. Speedster Matt Henry removed Samson for just six runs.

In the very next over, World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, who won the Player of the Match Award in the first T20I, departed for a golden duck. Pacer Jacob Duffy removed the Indian opener as the hosts slumped to 8/2.

However, Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav began playing counterattacking cricket as India reached 54/2 in the fifth over.

During the fourth ball of the sixth over, Kishan smashed a 21-ball half-century as India posted 75/2 after the end of the first powerplay. 75/2 was also the second-highest Powerplay total for India vs New Zealand after 76/1 in Johannesburg in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007.

During the first ball of the 10th over, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi broke the 122-run partnership after he removed dangerous Kishan. The left-handed batter played a blistering knock of 76 runs off 32 balls, including 11 fours and four towering sixes.

After the end of the 10th over, India posted 133/3. During the fourth ball of the 11th over, captain Suryakumar completed his 22nd half-century in just 23 deliveries. It was Suryakumar's first fifty since October 2024. At the end of the 14th over, India was in a commanding position at 194/3.

India completed the run chase in just 15.2 overs. Skipper Suryakumar stayed unbeaten on 82 runs off 37 deliveries, including nine fours and four huge sixes. All-rounder Shivam Dube played a fantastic unbeaten knock of 36 off 18 balls, including four boundaries, as India won the high-scoring match by seven wickets.

Earlier, fighting knocks from New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and left-handed batter Rachin Ravindra helped their side to post a challenging score of 208/6.

After being asked to bat first, New Zealand were off to a fantastic start. In the very first over, India pacer Arshdeep Singh conceded 18 runs, which is also the joint-most expensive first over by an Indian bowler in a T20I match. Earlier, Ireland's Paul Stirling scored as many against right-arm speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Malahide in 2022.

After the end of the third over, New Zealand raced away to 43/0. However, speedster Harshit Rana dismissed opener Devon Conway for 19 runs off nine balls, including three fours and one six, to break the partnership during the first ball of the fourth over.

In the very next over, spinner Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Tim Seifert after fielder Ishan Kishan took a brilliant catch at the mid-wicket region. The right-handed batter made 24 off 13 deliveries, including five fours.

After the end of the sixth over, the Black Caps reached 64/2. During the fifth ball of the ninth over, spinner Kuldeep Yadav dismissed dangerous Glenn Phillips for 19 runs, including two fours and one six. New Zealand scored 111/3 after the end of 10 overs.

During the third ball of the 12th over, all-rounder Shivam Dube got his wicket. The all-rounder took the wicket of Daryl Mitchell, who made 18 runs off 11 deliveries along with three boundaries.

In the very next over, Kuldeep struck after he removed dangerous Rachin Ravindra. Arshdeep took a simple catch at the short third region. Ravindra played a blistering knock of 44 off 26 deliveries, including two fours and four towering sixes. New Zealand slumped to 132/5.

After the end of the 16th over, New Zealand scored 155/5. All-rounder Hardik Pandya then dismissed Mark Chapman for just 10 runs during the 17th over of the visitors' innings.

For India, Hardik Pandya (1/25), Harshit Rana (1/35), Varun Chakaravarthy (1/35), Shivam Dube (1/7) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/35) were among the wicket takers.

Towards the end, captain Mitchell Santner (47* off 27 deliveries, including six fours and one six) and Zakary Foulkes (15* runs off eight deliveries with two fours and one six) helped their side to post a challenging target of 209 runs against the Men in Blue.

Brief scores: New Zealand in 208/6 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 47*, Rachin Ravindra 44; Kuldeep Yadav (2/35) vs India in 209/3 in 15.2 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 86*, Ishan Kishan 76; Ish Sodhi 1/34)

- ANI