India cruised to a commanding seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I, powered by a breathtaking opening burst from Ishan Kishan and a composed yet explosive finish from captain Suryakumar Yadav. Chasing a steep target of 209, India wrapped up the chase in just 15.2 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
The match turned heavily in India’s favour during the powerplay, where Kishan went into overdrive. The left-hander smashed a 21-ball half-century, helping India race to 75 for 2 in the first six overs , one of their highest-ever powerplay totals against New Zealand. His fearless strokeplay put the Kiwi bowlers under immediate pressure and shifted the momentum decisively.
Interestingly, Suryakumar later revealed that he was “angry” with Kishan during that phase — not because of poor play, but because Kishan was striking the ball so cleanly that he barely allowed the captain to face deliveries. Speaking after the match, Suryakumar said he was jokingly upset about not getting enough strike in the powerplay, but praised Kishan’s intent and match-winning approach.
Kishan’s brilliant innings came to an end on 76 off just 32 balls, featuring 11 fours and four towering sixes, after Ish Sodhi broke the 122-run partnership. By then, however, the damage was done.
Suryakumar carried the chase forward with a fluent unbeaten 82 off 37 balls, mixing innovation with authority. Shivam Dube provided strong support with a quickfire 36 not out off 18 deliveries to seal the win in style.
Earlier, New Zealand had posted 208 for 6, led by Rachin Ravindra’s 44 and Mitchell Santner’s unbeaten 47. Despite their strong total, India’s deep batting and aggressive intent proved too much, underlining their dominance in the series so far.
