New Zealand and India clashed in the second match of the five-T20I series on October 24, 2026, at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. India won the first game, also in Christchurch, and was 1-0 up in the series. India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first.

The pitch supported the bowlers more, and Indian pacers made merry by hitting the pitch hard. New Zealand managed 41/3 inside the powerplay overs before Glenn Phillips’ 70 with 4 fours and 4 sixes and Bevon Jacobs’ 58 with 5 fours and one six, and their 116-run partnership rescued the Kiwis.

New Zealand finished on 180/5 in 20 overs, while Arshdeep Singh took two wickets for India.

Indian batters struggled to get going, but Abhishek Sharma (27) and Sanju Samson (14) gave a decent start to the innings. But India kept losing wickets, including that of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 4 runs, while Shreyas Iyer made 7 and Axar Patel made 11 runs.

At 70/5, things looked like a lost cause for India, but Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir brought India back in the game, with a quick 42-run partnership.

Dhir made 31 off 17 balls with three sixes and one four before getting out. However, Tilak Varma ensured India were in the chase and got support from Nitish Reddy, who made 26* off 13 balls.

Tilak Varma kept the boundaries flowing and made 51* off 26 balls with 6 fours and one six, as India won a thriller by 4 wickets with one ball to spare. Tilak Varma was named the Player of the Match as India went 2-0 up in the five-game series.  

The third game of the series will be played in Wellington on October 27.

The cricket fraternity was left stunned and in awe of how well Tilak Varma shepherded India to a brilliant win and lauded him and the Indian team for the win on social media.

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