India continued their dominant run against New Zealand, registering a commanding seven-wicket victory in the second T20 international at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur to take an unassailable 2–0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing a steep target of 209, India made light work of the total thanks to a blistering partnership between captain Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan. Suryakumar led from the front with a sensational 82 off just 37 balls, while Kishan smashed 76 off 32 deliveries, as India raced to the target in only 15.2 overs.
Earlier, after winning the toss and opting to bowl, India were put under pressure by New Zealand’s aggressive batting. Stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner top-scored with a quickfire 47 off 27 balls, while Rachin Ravindra contributed a fluent 44 off 26, powering New Zealand to a competitive 208 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
Despite the imposing total, the Indian batting lineup responded with authority. Suryakumar’s innings was marked by trademark innovation and clean striking, easing concerns around his recent form, while Kishan provided explosive support at the other end. Their counterattack left the New Zealand bowlers with no answers.
The victory comes as a timely boost for India following their recent ODI series loss and underlines the team’s depth and firepower in the shortest format. With the series already sealed, the hosts will now look to complete a clean sweep in the final T20.
Playing XIs
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy