Tilak Varma delivered another match-winning cameo — an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls — to anchor India's remarkable come-from-behind victory over New Zealand in the second T20I at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Saturday, 24 October. Chasing a competitive 181, India were teetering at 70/5 in the 10.5th over before Tilak and Nitish Kumar Reddy stitched a decisive unbroken partnership to complete a four-wicket win off the penultimate ball, giving the visitors an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

The Collapse That Set Up the Comeback

Mitchell Santner was the chief wrecker with a stellar 4 for 21, exploiting a slow surface that gripped and offered inconsistent bounce throughout. The New Zealand captain removed Abhishek Sharma in his first over and then dismissed both Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel in the same 11th over, leaving India in severe trouble. Pace bowlers equally exploited the surface's sluggishness — Jacob Duffy accounted for Sanju Samson (14) early, while Nathan Smith sent back Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for four.

Notably, Samson had faced a difficult opening over from Matt Henry, who bowled a maiden, beating his bat three times. A no-ball off Duffy reprieved Abhishek, who capitalised with a boundary before eventually falling to Santner.

Tilak and Nitish Refuse to Yield

With 46 runs still needed off the final 18 balls, the task looked beyond India. But Tilak and Nitish Kumar Reddy — who finished unbeaten on 26 off 13 balls — attacked relentlessly. The pair plundered 17 runs off Duffy's third over, with Tilak striking back-to-back boundaries at the start of the 18th over, aided by a misfield from Glenn Phillips at deep mid-wicket.

The equation came to 11 off the last six balls, with the hosts already penalised for a slow over rate and required to keep an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle. Tilak drilled Duffy through the covers in the second ball of the final over and completed his fifty off the very next delivery with a two. Nitish then sealed the chase with a double toward deep backward square leg off the second-to-last ball — hitting the winning runs just as India had done in the series opener, extending the team's remarkable ability to chase under pressure.

Earlier: Phillips and Jacobs Rescue New Zealand

New Zealand had looked in trouble at 41/3 in 5.2 overs, but Glenn Phillips (70 off 43 balls) and Bevon Jacobs (58 off 46 balls) forged a match-changing 116-run fourth-wicket partnership to rebuild the innings. Their stand effectively doubled the score and carried New Zealand to a fighting 180/5 in 20 overs.

Arshdeep Singh was India's lead wicket-taker with 2 for 33, while Prince Yadav chipped in with 1 for 30. India bowled tightly in the powerplay and at the death, but the pitch's help ensured the Kiwi total was always going to test any batting unit.

India's Middle-Order Finding Form

Naman Dhir also played a vital bridging knock of 31 off 17 balls, keeping India's hopes alive before Santner completed his four-wicket haul by dismissing him. This series is fast becoming a platform for India's emerging middle-order talents — Tilak, Reddy, and Dhir each contributed at critical moments. This is Tilak's second impactful innings of the series, reinforcing his status as one of India's most reliable finishers in the shortest format.

The third T20I of the five-match series is next, with India now holding a commanding 2-0 lead and New Zealand needing to win the remaining three games to retain any hope of a series win.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 180/5 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 70, Bevon Jacobs 58; Arshdeep Singh 2-33, Prince Yadav 1-30) lose to India (Tilak Varma 51*, Naman Dhir 31; Mitchell Santner 4-21, Nathan Smith 1-34) by four wickets.