India hold their nerve again
India made it two wins in two matches at Hagley Oval on 24 October 2026, chasing 181 to defeat New Zealand by four wickets with a ball remaining. Tilak Varma made 51 not out from 26 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy finished unbeaten on 26 from 13. Their late partnership reversed the pressure created by Mitchell Santner’s four-wicket spell and gave India a 2–0 series lead.
Three early wickets for India
Shreyas Iyer again chose to field, and India’s bowlers struck during the powerplay. Arshdeep Singh dismissed Tim Seifert, Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Daryl Mitchell and Prince Yadav bowled Finn Allen for 16. New Zealand were 41 for 3 when Allen fell, leaving Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs to rebuild with more than 14 overs still available.
Phillips and Jacobs rebuild
Phillips followed his unbeaten 82 in the opener with 70 from 43 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes. Jacobs supported him with 58 from 46 deliveries, and their 116-run fourth-wicket stand took New Zealand beyond 150. The partnership gave the hosts a chance to recover from their early losses and put India under pressure in the second half of the innings.
Bracewell adds late runs
Arshdeep broke the partnership by dismissing Phillips at the end of the 18th over, and Nitish removed Jacobs in the next. Michael Bracewell then struck a four and a six from the only two balls he faced. New Zealand finished on 180 for 5, with Arshdeep returning 2 for 33 and India needing to manage a second substantial chase in as many matches.
Santner puts New Zealand in control
India’s openers added 40 before Jacob Duffy dismissed Sanju Samson for 14. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi followed for 4, and Santner removed Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel to leave India at 70 for 5. The captain’s four overs brought 4 for 21, with his final wicket coming when Naman Dhir fell for an attacking 31 from 17 balls.
Tilak and Nitish change the equation
Tilak and Nitish came together with India needing another 69 runs. The required rate remained high, but the pair found boundaries when the chase was at risk of getting away. With 46 needed from the final three overs, Nitish hit a six off Duffy and Tilak followed with two fours, reducing the requirement to 29 from 12 balls.
The final two overs
Tilak struck three fours and a six in Nathan Smith’s 18-run penultimate over, leaving 11 to get from the last six deliveries. He reached his half-century during the final over, and Nitish completed the chase with one ball unused. Their unbroken seventh-wicket stand was worth 69, and Tilak received the player-of-the-match award.
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