India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I Review 2026 – The second T20I was played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 24th October, 2026. India ended up winning the match in a thrilling manner by chasing 181 runs and scoring 181/6 in 19.5 overs. With this win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five match series and will be looking to carry this momentum in the next match as well.
After Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs had put together a crucial 4th wicket partnership to help dig New Zealand out of a hole after losing 3 early wickets, it was left for India to try and chase down a total in the second T20I, which ultimately proved to be an arduous task for the visiting outfit.
In this review, you can find out everything about this T20 match, also you can check the contributions of the individual players, some incidents that took place and most importantly what this win of the visitors means for the ongoing five match T20I match.
Table of Contents
India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I: Match Summary
India won the toss and chose to field. The New Zealand side had a decent return of 180/5 in 20 overs of play after facing a crisis of three wickets falling early on in the match. A decisive 4th wicket partnership of 116 runs between Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs in the end helped the New Zealand side to come back from the woods and achieve a respectable total.
After losing 6 wickets in the process of chasing 181 runs, India would have needed a couple of big innings to reach the target. Abhishek Sharma and Naman Dhir did create some momentum in the end but it was the 50+ runs scored from Tilak Varma that ended up being too much for the Kiwis to handle in the end along with Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Match Details
| Match Detail | Information |
| Match | India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I |
| Date | October 24, 2026 |
| Venue | Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand |
| New Zealand | 180/5 in 20 overs |
| India | 181/6 in 19.5 overs |
| Result | India won by four wickets |
| Series position | India leads 2–0 |
New Zealand’s Innings: Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs Rebuild
New Zealand had just started their innings and India was exerting pressure in the initial stages. India had scored 7 runs in the first over bowled by Yadav. Next over Andre’s most researched bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of the Rohit Sharma led team got a wicket. In his 4 overs Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 50 runs.
The third over was bowled by second most researched bowler of India, Axar Patel who conceded 28 runs. In his 4 overs. Prince Yadav of India got a wicket in his 3 overs and conceded 30 runs. Arshdeep Singh got 2 wickets and conceded 33 runs in his 4 overs.
The next batsman to enter the crease was Glenn Phillips. He played a very solid innings scoring 70 runs of the 43 deliveries he faced to include 4 fours and 4 sixes in the tries he managed to hit. He kept scoring required runs while others of his team were also trying to get in and score.
For New Zealand, Bevon Jacobs carried the bat to a score of 58 from 46 deliveries with 5 fours and a six. His innings was a vital fillip to Phillips who scored agility in the closing stages of the New Zealand innings.
Their partnership to the value of 116 in the fourth wicket for 116 was the defining segment of New Zealand’s innings for they secured a decent total for their side while establishing a relevant platform for their lower order to score runs in the final overs of their innings.
After Phillips departed for a clubbing 70 in 43 deliveries (4 fours, 4 sixes), Bevon Jacobs held up the other end scoring 58 from 46 deliveries (5 fours, 1 six) to set up a 116 run 4th wicket partnership. When he was finally dislodged the Bradmanesque style Briton would have no doubt been extolled to be on his merits as a New Zealand série player.
For detailed statistics of the Indian and New Zealand batting innings please click here for the full Scorecard.
India’s Bowling Performance: Early Success, Then a Partnership
India then had a slightly easier period and scored 42 from the next 5 overs as Tim Seifert was dismissed by Arshdeep in the 6th over for 7 runs. Daryl Mitchell also departed in the 6th over for 6 runs.
While New Zealand suffered a hat-trick of wickets in the early stages of their innings, Mitchell and his teammates – especially Phillips – managed to rebuild well to prevent their score slipping. Both Phillips and Jacobs provided drought-breaking four’s and in their efforts to consolidate and build upon their respective tallies of runs, found time to score some useful boundaries to gain 116 runs for the loss of three wickets for New Zealand.
Arshdeep Singh bagged 2 wickets for 33 runs from 4 overs. Prince Yadav got 1 wicket for 30 runs from 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also managed to get a wicket while conceding 50 runs in his 4 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy also managed to get a wicket and finished his 3 overs for 31 runs. Axar managed to concede 28 runs without any wickets.
India would have to adopt a different strategy to the hitting required to try and win the match once the hosts had scored 180 runs, rather than trying to keep the visitors at bay with an early dismissal of big hitting players at the top of the order.
India’s Run Chase: Early Promise Followed by Pressure
India were off to the best of starts when Sanju Samson got out for 14 runs off 17 deliveries. The Indian wicket-keeper looked to have got off to a very mediocre start, but was dismissed in that fashion. Abhishek Sharma continued to play some excellent cricket as he scored 27 runs from 21 deliveries inclusive of 3 fours and a six before he got out.
In the meanwhile, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (4/8), who was brought in as a replacement for the unavailable Ishan Kishan, was dismissed in the same over by Santner. Next to fall was the in-form Shreyas Iyer (7/11) and post that Axar Patel (11/9) too was sent back in the dressing room by the New Zealand skipper.
By the 11th over when India were 70/5, their innings was in the doldrums and needed a significant recovery. However, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner was in top form and picked up wickets at regular intervals to deny the Indian middle order any sort of comfortable partnerships.
Naman Dhir did add some urgency to India’s chase and scored 31 from 17 deliveries, consisting of 1 four and 3 sixes. He scored these runs off Mitchell Santner but the ‘aggression’ would be short-lived as Dhir was to be dismissed on his next delivery.
Tilak Varma of India attempts to hit a six as Nitish Kumar Reddy of India looks on to complete the match-winning partnership. The two batters managed to deliver a crucial late recovery for their side.
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy Deliver the Late Recovery
The match changed for the Indian team in the last few overs of the game as Tilak Varma would go on to hit crucial boundary shots while Nitish Kumar Reddy would continue to score important singles for his team to reach the finish line of the match.
Arshdeep had been expensive till his 4th over, where he finally got 2 wickets for 33 runs, which triggered a wobble in the ZaiaTemplate kkTemplate. He was not helped by his fielding team, though.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was equally impressive and provided able support to Varma. While Varma took the team to finish line with his blistering 51* off 26 balls (4 fours and 3 sixes), Reddy played a steady knock and facilitated his partner in his endeavors. The pair added 69 runs for the unexpired 6 wickets and helped India rise from 112/6 to successfully achieve the Championship-game like scenario set by New Zealand in the earlier game.
The 6th over of the last over was off. With 11 runs required off 6 balls, Reddy scored a single first. Varma then took strike and slammed a boundary off his first delivery. He continued to score runs and ultimately helped India win the game with a single delivery to spare.
This is how India scored their last 11 runs off 6 balls. What a match it was! As the two late order scored a run a piece, it became amply clear that India won the game in a correct and most satisfying manner.
Mitchell Santner’s Bowling Keeps New Zealand in the Contest
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner had a great day at the office. The medium pacer picked up 4 wickets for 21 runs as he dug out some crucial wickets of the Indian middle order in the 11th over.
New Zealand were made to work hard for their wickets, though. Naman Dhir was his usual destructive self early on for India, but after he departed, Santner got to work and ripped through the middle order to have the visitors reeling at 70/5 with theSCI needing 110 runs to reach their target of 180.
Nathan Smith picked up one wicket to join the party while Jacob Duffy also chipped in with one wicket too. However, that was as good as it got for the New Zealanders as the Varma and Reddy partnership took over in the late stages of the match.
It will still remain a positive for New Zealand cricket as they had the tools to have got the better of India but weren’t able to capitulate under pressure in the end.
Five Key Turning Points in the Match
1. India’s Early Wickets
3 Important Overs for India – India got the first breakthrough they needed for in the 3rd over of the New Zealand innings to get wickets of 3 important players in the team to restrict runs for New Zealand.
2. The Phillips–Jacobs Partnership
Phillips and Jacobs put on 116 runs for the 4th wicket partnership. Their partnership changed the direction of the match and resulted in NZ totaling 180/5 runs.
3. Santner’s Middle-Over Wickets
Santner had gotten big wickets in the New Zealand middle order. He continued this form and got four big wickets in the Indian line up. The wickets of the key Indian batsmen helped to disrupt the Indian innings and had them reeling at 70/5.
4. Naman Dhir’s Quick Contribution
Naman Dhir struck a quick 31 from 17 deliveries to suddenly revive India’s innings. His entertaining stay enabled Varma to slow down his scoring rate significantly and stay on track to notch up a winning 4.
5. Varma and Reddy’s Unbeaten Partnership
The late partnership of Varma and Reddy carried India to a win from a precarious situation. They ended up scoring the required runs with one ball to spare to seal a win for India in the 2nd T20I against New Zealand.
What the Result Means for the T20I Series
India’s victory in the first of five matches in the series will allow Virat Kohli and his men to take an early lead, but there is still plenty of work to do in order to ensure victory in the series as New Zealand will be out to level the series in the 3rd match scheduled for October 30.
The Indian chase showed much good in the poor, but it also revealed some worrying trends. Late on, the pair of Varma and Reddy did enough to win, but the six wickets that fell around 181 was something to worry about, and how that comfortable situation became a pressure cooker in no time is something the team would hopefully look to rectify in the matches to come.
Though all of the above-New Zealand players did well to take the game to the late stages of the match, though, they would look to finish off games in hand once they get into dominant positions.
The 3rd match of the series is scheduled to take place on 27th October 2026 at Wellington. Readers can view the official BCCI series schedule and latest updates for both the Indian and New Zealand cricket teams.
India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I Scorecard
New Zealand batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls |
| Tim Seifert | 7 | 6 |
| Finn Allen | 16 | 14 |
| Daryl Mitchell | 6 | 5 |
| Glenn Phillips | 70 | 43 |
| Bevon Jacobs | 58 | 46 |
| Mitchell Santner | 4* | 5 |
| Michael Bracewell | 10* | 2 |
| Total | 180/5 | 20 overs |
| Extras: 9. |
India bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 33 | 2 |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 30 | 1 |
| Naman Dhir | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 28 | 0 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 3 | 31 | 1 |
India batting: Key contributions
| Batter | Runs | Balls |
| Sanju Samson | 14 | 17 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 27 | 21 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 4 | 8 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 7 | 11 |
| Axar Patel | 11 | 9 |
| Naman Dhir | 31 | 17 |
| Tilak Varma | 51* | 27 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 24* | 10 |
| Total | 181/6 | 19.5 overs |
Final Thoughts
It was a closely contested match which saw a change in momentum in favor of the Indians. Phillips and Jacobs made some good recovery in the early part of the Indian innings. Santner then turned the tables in favor of New Zealand with a 4-wkt haul. But a good partnership by Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy saw India go through in the end with a 4-wit win with one ball to spare.
However, in this game India outplayed New Zealand to register a 4 wicket win. The two games that India has played so far have seen India get better at planning and executing a match. New Zealand on the other hand need to work on defending totals that other teams can chase easily. Readers can refer to match reports and score cards of this game on WazirWin to get updated information on how the game was played and confirmed statistics of the players who played the game.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who won the India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I in 2026?
India won the 2nd T20I in the series in a thrilling four-wicket contest. Smita Patel’s team was restricted to 180/5 in 20 overs, while Rohit Sharma’s team chased down the runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 19.5 overs.
2. Where was the second T20I played?
Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand on 24th October 2026.
3. How many runs did Glenn Phillips score?
Glenn Phillips scored 70 runs from 43 balls, including 4 fours and 4 sixes.
4. How did Bevon Jacobs perform?
He was responsible for 58 runs from 46 deliveries and was part of a 116-run 4th wicket partnership with Glenn Phillips.
5. How did Tilak Varma contribute to India’s win?
Tilak Varma also contributed to the Indians’ successful chase over to the 50-over format by scoring an unbeaten fifty.
6. How many wickets did Mitchell Santner take?
He was New Zealand’s best bowler and took 4 wickets for 21 runs.
7. What was New Zealand’s final score?
New Zealand scored 180/5 in 20 overs.
8. What was India’s final score?
India finished on 181/6 in 19.5 overs for a 4 wicket win.
9. What is India’s position in the T20I series after this match?
India took a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series with their 2nd T20I win.
10. Where can I check the official match details?
Check the BCCI match centre and the published scorecard for match details and individual performances.
