IND vs NZ: Hyd Star’s Revenge, From Trolls to NZ Destruction

India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I to take a 2-0 lead in the five match series.

Chasing 181 runs, India were struggling at 112/6 before Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy turned the game around with an unbeaten 69 run partnership.

India’s top order failed to make a big contribution once again. Sanju Samson scored 14 off 17 balls, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi managed just seven runs. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls before Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel also departed cheaply. Naman Dhir kept India in the chase with 31 off 17 balls, including three sixes and a four.

Despite, Tilak and Nitish took responsibility when India needed them most. Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, hitting six fours and a six, while Nitish scored 26 off just 13 balls. Their partnership helped India reach the target with two balls remaining.

Tilak’s knock also came after he faced criticism for his slow innings in the first T20I. Promoted to No. 3, he scored just six runs off 11 balls, and fans questioned the decision.

Hyderabad Star answered those backlash with a match winning performance in the second game.

Whether it was the Asia Cup final, the Asian Games final, T20 World Cup knockouts or now in New Zealand, Tilak has shown that he can deliver in big moments.

This innings is another reminder that a batter should not be judged only by one slow knock. Once settled, he has the ability to win matches for India.

Earlier, New Zealand posted 180 after being asked to bat first. Glenn Phillips scored 70 off 43 balls, while Bevon Jacobs made 58 off 46 balls as the pair added 116 runs for the fourth wicket. Mitchell Santner took four wickets for 21 runs, but his effort was not enough to stop India from taking a 2-0 series lead.