India defeated New Zealand in the 2nd T20I by 7 wickets with 15 balls to spare. The visitors are now leading the 5-match T20I series by 2-0 against the Kiwis. KL Rahul was named the “Player of the Match” for his 3rd consecutive and his overall 11th half-century in T20Is for India.
India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I:
Unlike the 1st T20I, the 2nd T20I wasn’t a very high scoring one. New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. Martin Guptill and Colin Munro gave a firm start to their team. The Black Caps added 48 runs for 1 wicket during the powerplay.
Martin Guptill added 33 from 20 balls, while opener Colin Munro scored 26 runs from 25 balls. Captain Kane Williamson could only contribute 14 runs from 20 deliveries before losing his wicket to Ravindra Jadeja.
Ross Taylor and Tim Seifert stood their ground on the pitch by they were unable to hit around a lot. Tim Seifert scored an unbeaten 33 from 26 balls as New Zealand finished on 132/5 after 20 overs. Ravindra Jadeja bowled exceptionally well, securing 2 wickets for 18 runs in his 4 overs. Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shivam Dube claimed 1 wicket each for their team.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli speaks in favor of KL Rahul
India required 133 from 20 overs to win the match. Opener Rohit Sharma, once again, could not make it to the double digits and lost his wicket in the first over of the innings for just 8 runs. Skipper Virat Kohli also added just 11 runs from 12 balls before getting caught behind.
However, the two in-form players were still on the pitch. Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul shared an 86 runs partnership to bring victory within arm’s reach of India.
Shreyas Iyer scored 44 runs from 33 balls with four and 3 sixes before losing his wicket to Ish Sodhi when India just required 8 runs to win the match in the 17th over. KL Rahul, on the other end, struck 57 from 50 balls and remained undefeated till the end of the match with 3 fours and 2 sixes under his name.
Shivam Dube smacked a six to seal the victory for the visitors as India scored 135 runs in just 17.3 overs.
India and New Zealand will play the 3rd T20I on January 29 at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
