India remained firmly in control of their run chase in the second T20I against New Zealand after Ishan Kishan produced a blistering knock of 76 runs off just 32 balls at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday.
Chasing a challenging target of 209, India overcame early setbacks to keep the required rate under control. Kishan’s aggressive innings, featuring 11 fours and four sixes, set the tone for the chase before he was dismissed by Ish Sodhi.
India suffered an early blow when Sanju Samson was dismissed for six in the opening over by Matt Henry. The situation worsened briefly in the second over as Jacob Duffy removed Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. However, Kishan counter-attacked decisively, restoring momentum and keeping India ahead of the asking rate.
Earlier, New Zealand posted a competitive total of 208 for 6 after being asked to bat first. Captain Mitchell Santner anchored the innings with an unbeaten 47 off 27 balls, striking six fours and a six. Rachin Ravindra narrowly missed a half-century, scoring 44 off 26 deliveries before being dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav.
India’s bowlers pulled things back well after a strong start by the visitors. Devon Conway, who struck 18 runs in the opening over, was dismissed for 19 by Harshit Rana. Varun Chakaravarthy removed Tim Seifert, while Kuldeep Yadav picked up key wickets including Ravindra and Glenn Phillips.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl. Axar Patel missed the match due to a finger injury, while Jasprit Bumrah was rested as part of workload management. The series serves as India’s final preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, with the team aiming to extend its dominant run in the shortest format.
India entered the match on the back of a convincing win in the first T20I and have now won 10 consecutive T20I series or tournaments, underlining their consistency and depth ahead of the global event.
