India secured a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I in Christchurch, recovering from a massive collapse to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing 181, the visitors found themselves tottering at 70/5 in 10.5 overs. The recovery unfolded in two distinct phases. Naman Dhir triggered the turnaround with a lightning-fast 31 off 17 balls, hammering three crucial sixes to shift the momentum back toward India.
Following Dhir's departure at 112/6, Tilak Varma (51* off 26 balls) took the matter into his hands and put on an unbeaten 69-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy (26* off 13 balls) to propel India over the line with one delivery to spare.
After the game, former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on Tilak’s ability to thrive under pressure, highlighting his strong CV as a finisher.
"This was a tough, tough chase, because this is a huge ground, the pitch was in favor of the bowlers more than we are used to seeing, and he did not get off to a flier at the start. Despite that, he got the job done. Now, that, for me, is a very special skill," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
"One thing that he has shown time and again, under pressure he knows how to thrive. It is an important core skill of a finisher and why he has been so successful in the period where he has batted at No.5 and 6 is because he has the courage to believe that if he is there till the end, he can score the runs," he added.
Since Tilak starts his innings cautiously and unleashes his repertoire of strokes once set, Karthik noted that batters around the Indian vice-captain needs to be proactive.
"It is important for the batters batting around him to realise that he is someone who takes a few balls at the start. He is not going to take a huge risk unless it is the last 2-3 overs of the game, because he backs himself to get back-to-back boundaries quite easily at the back end of the innings. He plays shots which is very tough to set fields for," Karthik remarked.
The reigning T20 World Champions will look to seal the series by winning the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday (October 27).
