Tilak Varma commandeers extraordinary turnaround to propel India to an astonishing win over New Zealand

Team India dished out another compelling performance to brush New Zealand aside for a second consecutive time in Christchurch in a span of three days to go 2-0 up in the ongoing T20I series.

An improved bowling performance from the first game and a superlative finish despite the hiccups midway saw the Men in Blue making merry against the formidable Blackcaps.

Winning the toss, India opted to bowl first. They had one forced change to their winning combination, witnessing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi coming in place of an injured Ishan Kishan. India got off to a promising start as Arshdeep Singh drew first blood. He dismissed Tim Seifert (7) before Bhuvneshwar Kumar could get the better of Daryll Mitchell (6) in short succession. Much to the woes of the hosts, Prince Yadav castled Finn Allen (16) to reduce New Zealand to 41/3.

That is when the Kiwis found a resolute stand between Glenn Phillips (70) and Bevon Jacobs (58). The two added 116 runs for the fourth wicket, providing the hosts with the much-needed stability and momentum in the center.

Arshdeep broke the stand with the prized scalp of Phillips while Nitish Kumar Reddy saw the back of Jacobs as New Zealand posted 180/5 at the end of 20 overs. Arshdeep was the pick of the Indian lot with impressive figures of 2/33 while Prince Yadav and Axar Patel were fairly economical.

India did get off to a good start but it wasn’t as free-flowing as the series opener. Sanju Samson (14) and Abhishek Sharma (27) did their job on a surface which exhibited its fair shares of shenanigans. However, India lost a flurry of wickets in the center as Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (4), Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (7) and Axar Patel (11) went back to the pavilion in very short succession.

Losing five wickets in span of 30 runs, India gasped desperately for some momentum. An incoming Tilak Varma combined well with Naman Dhir to keep the ship moving forward. Dhir extending his glistening run, smashing 31 off 17 but his fine knock came to an end against Mitchell Santner and whatsoever momentum India did garner in the growing stand between the two, ebbed away to oblivion as the visitors struggled again at 112/6.

Needing 69 runs from 37 balls and with just four wickets in hand, India needed something special. One good thing about the side is that they have formed their team with immense batting depth and that ploy worked out wonders again. Nitish Kumar Reddy walked in and offered the much-needed surge that the Men in Blue were desperately scouring for.

Varma fired an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls while Reddy hammered 26 off just 13. From being cornered against the wall, India emerged triumphant with a ball and four wickets to spare. The duo of Varma and Reddy added 69 runs from 35 balls, pulling off the dauting chase as the visitors went 2-0 up in the ongoing T20I series. Varma bagged the Player of the Match award for his incredible knock towards the end, propelling India to the finish line.