NZ vs IND 2nd T20I Match Result: Tilak Varma’s Unbeaten 51 Seals India’s 4-Wicket Win, India Lead Series 2-0
India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Saturday, October 24, 2026, to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Chasing 181, India reached 181 for 6 in 19.5 overs, winning with one ball to spare after a dramatic late comeback that turned a near-certain defeat into a thrilling last-over victory.
Tilak Varma was the hero of the chase with an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls, while Nitish Kumar Reddy finished on 26 not out off 13 balls. Their unbeaten 69-run seventh-wicket stand, scored off just 30 balls, rescued India from 112 for 6 in the 15th over. Earlier, Glenn Phillips (70 off 43) and Bevon Jacobs (58 off 46) had lifted New Zealand to 180 for 5, and New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner had threatened to win the game almost single-handedly with four wickets for 21 runs.
Our 2nd T20I prediction had backed India to go 2-0 up in the series, and that pick was right — although the way India got there was far tighter than anyone could have scripted.
NZ vs IND 2nd T20I match result and full score summary
| Team | Score | Top scorer | Best bowler |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 180/5 (20 overs) | Glenn Phillips 70 (43) | Arshdeep Singh 2/33 |
| India | 181/6 (19.5 overs) | Tilak Varma 51* (26) | Mitchell Santner 4/21 |
India won the toss and elected to field first, with captain Shreyas Iyer backing his side to chase under lights at Hagley Oval. In reply, India lost wickets in clusters, slipped to 70 for 5 in the 11th over, and still needed 68 runs off the last 30 balls before Tilak and Nitish produced a stunning finish.
Result: India won by four wickets (with one ball remaining). Player of the Match: Tilak Varma (51 not out off 26 balls). Series: India lead the five-match series 2-0.
Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs rescue New Zealand to 180 for 5
New Zealand’s innings started badly. Tim Seifert made 7 off 6 balls, Finn Allen made 16 off 14, and Daryl Mitchell made just 6 off 5, leaving the hosts in early trouble inside the powerplay. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh each struck early, and India had New Zealand under real pressure.
That was when Phillips and Jacobs changed the game. The pair added 116 runs for the fourth wicket off 76 balls — New Zealand’s first century stand for the fourth or lower wicket in T20Is against India. Phillips struck four fours and four sixes in his 70 off 43 balls, while Jacobs supported him with 58 off 46 balls, including five fours and a six. Their partnership took New Zealand from a precarious position to a competitive total.
Arshdeep Singh was India’s most successful bowler with two wickets for 33 runs in four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy took one wicket each. Captain Mitchell Santner finished unbeaten on 4 off 5 balls and Michael Bracewell smashed an unbeaten 10 off just two balls at the end, pushing New Zealand to 180 for 5 — a total that looked more than enough when India later collapsed.
Mitchell Santner four wickets leave India reeling at 112 for 6
India’s chase began with Sanju Samson making 14 off 17 balls before he was caught by Glenn Phillips off Jacob Duffy. Abhishek Sharma gave India momentum with 27 off 21 balls, including three fours and a six, but Santner removed him to open the door for New Zealand. Youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, back in the side, managed only four off eight balls before Nathan Smith dismissed him.
Santner then ran through India’s middle order. Captain Shreyas Iyer fell for seven, bowled by Santner, and Axar Patel made 11 before also falling to the New Zealand captain. When Naman Dhir — who had counterattacked with 31 off 17 balls, including three sixes and a four — was dismissed by Santner in the 15th over, India were 112 for 6 and the game looked gone. Santner finished with four wickets for 21 runs in four overs, becoming the first bowler to take multiple four-wicket hauls against India in T20Is.
At that stage India needed 69 runs from 30 balls, with the required run rate above 13 runs per over. What followed was one of the great T20I finishes of this India tour of New Zealand.
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy seventh wicket partnership turns the match
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy refused to panic. Reddy hit Nathan Smith for four and Jacob Duffy for six, and the pair ran hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving. Tilak then took 17 runs off Duffy’s 18th over, with two fours and a six, and the 19th over, bowled by Smith, went for 18 runs. Suddenly, India needed only 11 runs off the last over.
New Zealand did not help themselves in the field. Bevon Jacobs dropped two catches during the chase, and a Glenn Phillips misfield in the 18th over cost a boundary. New Zealand were also penalised for a slow over rate, which left them an extra fielder short inside the ring for the final over, bowled by Duffy.
Tilak reached his fifty with a diving second run in the final over, finishing unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls with six fours and a six. A wide to Reddy reduced the equation further, and Reddy clipped the winning runs to seal a four-wicket win with one ball remaining. The unbeaten 69-run stand off 30 balls between Tilak and Nitish was the defining partnership of the match — and of the series so far.
Player of the Match Tilak Varma unbeaten 51 seals India win
Tilak Varma was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 51 off 26 balls. It was an innings of remarkable composure under pressure: he arrived with India in trouble, watched wickets fall around him, and still found a way to accelerate exactly when the required rate demanded it.
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s unbeaten 26 off 13 balls, at a strike rate of 200, was equally important. He struck one four and one six, hit the winning runs, and gave Tilak the partner India desperately needed after the collapse. For New Zealand, Santner’s four for 21 deserved to be on the winning side, while Phillips’ 70 and Jacobs’ 58 had given them a total to defend. In the end, though, one partnership decided the match.
What the NZ vs IND 2nd T20I result means for the series standings
India now lead the five-match T20I series 2-0, after also winning the record chase in the first T20I at the same venue, when they chased down 226 — their highest successful T20I chase ever. New Zealand must now win the third T20I to stay alive in the series, while India can seal the series with another victory.
For New Zealand, the defeat will hurt because they had the game in their hands twice — first through the Phillips-Jacobs partnership, and then through Santner’s spell. Dropped catches and the slow over-rate penalty in the final over proved costly. For India, the win showed remarkable depth and belief: even at 112 for 6, with the required rate climbing past 13, they found finishers in Tilak and Nitish.
The series now moves to the third T20I on Tuesday, October 27, in Wellington. New Zealand need a win to keep the series alive, while India will look to complete a series victory with two matches to spare. If the first two matches are anything to go by, the third T20I promises another high-quality contest between two attacking sides.
What is next after India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I
- Third T20I: New Zealand vs India, Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Wellington — New Zealand must win to stay in the series.
- India lead the five-match series 2-0 after wins at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
- Key players to watch: Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy for India; Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs and Mitchell Santner for New Zealand.
Our prediction pick for this match was India, and it was right — India won by four wickets to go 2-0 up. The margin, though, was far narrower than the scoreline of the series suggests, and New Zealand will believe they are closer to a win than 2-0 implies.