Daijiworld Media Network - Christchurch

Christchurch, Oct 24: Tilak Varma produced another match-winning performance as India recovered from a precarious position to defeat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Chasing a competitive target of 181, India were struggling at 70/5 after 10.5 overs before Tilak struck an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls to steer the visitors to victory with one ball to spare.

Nitish Kumar Reddy provided crucial support with an unbeaten 26 off 13 deliveries and finished the match by hitting the winning runs off Jacob Duffy on the penultimate ball.

The Indian duo's late assault overshadowed New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner's impressive spell of 4/21 and the efforts of Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs, who had helped the hosts recover from an early collapse to post 180/5.

Phillips top-scored with 70 off 43 balls, while Jacobs contributed 58 off 46 deliveries as the pair stitched together a 116-run partnership for the fourth wicket after New Zealand had slipped to 41/3 in 5.2 overs.

The used surface offered considerable assistance to the bowlers, with spinners finding grip and the pace bowlers also benefiting from its slow nature. The same venue and pitch had witnessed a high-scoring opening match, in which India chased down 226, but batting proved considerably more challenging on Saturday.

India's chase began with eight consecutive dot balls as Matt Henry bowled a maiden over to Sanju Samson, beating the batter's bat three times.

The visitors finally got off the mark on the ninth delivery when Abhishek Sharma miscued Jacob Duffy towards deep point. Abhishek had earlier been caught at deep square leg by Nathan Smith off a no-ball after Duffy overstepped in the second over. The Indian opener responded by hitting a boundary off the next delivery, helping India reach 37 without loss after four overs.

New Zealand soon made inroads as Duffy dismissed Samson for 14 with a slower delivery, with the batter caught at cover. Returning batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi failed to make an impact, scoring four off eight balls before Nathan Smith dismissed him, with Daryl Mitchell taking a sharp catch at cover.

Santner then turned the match in New Zealand's favour. He dismissed Abhishek in his first over when the batter failed to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary. The New Zealand skipper struck twice more in the 11th over, removing Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel to leave India in deep trouble at 71/5.

Naman Dhir kept India's hopes alive with an aggressive 31 off 17 balls. Although Bevon Jacobs dropped him at point, Dhir made the most of the reprieve and attacked Michael Bracewell, striking a six and a four in the 14th over.

However, Santner dismissed Dhir in his final over to complete a four-wicket haul, leaving India with another significant hurdle.

Tilak and Nitish refused to surrender. With India needing 46 runs from the final 18 deliveries, the pair collected 17 runs from Duffy's third over to revive the chase.

Tilak then struck consecutive boundaries in the 18th over, aided by a misfield from Phillips at deep mid-wicket. He followed up with a pulled four and a six to bring the equation down to 11 runs from the final six balls.

New Zealand were forced to bring an additional fielder inside the 30-yard circle for the final over after being penalised for a slow over rate.

Tilak drilled Duffy through the covers for a boundary on the second ball and completed his half-century with a couple on the next delivery. Although he appeared disappointed when Nitish did not attempt a tight second run, the all-rounder made amends by collecting two runs towards deep backward square leg on the penultimate delivery to seal India's victory.

Earlier, New Zealand had recovered from early setbacks through the fourth-wicket partnership between Phillips and Jacobs. Phillips struck seven fours and two sixes, while Jacobs anchored the innings with a composed half-century.

India's bowlers kept the hosts under pressure during the powerplay and at the death, with Arshdeep Singh claiming two wickets and Prince Yadav taking one. New Zealand's total of 180/5 proved competitive but ultimately insufficient against India's late charge.

**Brief Scores:** New Zealand 180/5 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 70, Bevon Jacobs 58; Arshdeep Singh 2/33, Prince Yadav 1/30) lost to India 181/6 in 19.5 overs (Tilak Varma 51 not out, Naman Dhir 31, Nitish Kumar Reddy 26 not out; Mitchell Santner 4/21, Nathan Smith 1/34) by four wickets.