India go 2-0 up in T20I series against NZ with commanding victory in Raipur
Yadav, Kishan star for India in second T20I against Black Caps
India are on the verge of securing another T20I home series victory after confirming our cricket predictions by beating New Zealand by seven wickets and with 28 balls to spare at the Nava Rapiur International Stadium on Friday afternoon.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, India made a mixed start, conceding 40 runs in the first three overs before Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy knocked over the Kiwis’ openers in consecutive overs, leaving the visitors at 43/2 in the fifth over.
All the Black Caps’ batsmen made starts but were unable to convert them into big scores. Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner were the only two batters who surpassed the 40-run mark, helping their side to set a solid total of 208/6 in their 20 overs.
In response, the Men in Blue suffered a couple of early setbacks, with Sanju Samson dismissed for six runs, while the hero of the first ODI, Abhishek Sharma, was sent back for a golden duck, but that brought Ishan Kishan and skipper Suryakumar Yadav to the crease.
Kishan and Yadav put on a stunning 122-run stand for the fourth wicket, with the former smashing a sizzling 76 runs from 32 balls, while the latter ended not out on 82 off 37 balls. Shivam Dube blasted 36 off 18 and steered the home side to victory with more than four overs in hand.
More records tumble in second T20I in Raipur
After a record-breaking performance in the first T20I, India followed up by breaking another record in Raipur with their 209-run chase. Indeed, it was the team’s joint-highest successful chase in T20Is, matching their feat in Vizag against Australia in 2023.
It was also a key performance for Suryakumar Yadav, who had come under criticism for his recent performances. The Indian skipper had not scored a half-century in his last 23 T20I innings, dating back to October 2024 against Bangladesh.
Finally, India’s 209-run chase was also the fastest in T20Is for a target in excess of 200 against New Zealand. The Men in Blue took just 15.2 overs to reach the mammoth total, surpassing the now-previous record of 16 overs set by Pakistan last year.
