India chase down 181 to beat New Zealand by four wickets in Christchurch, take 2-0 lead

India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 24, 2026, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The visitors chased a target of 181 and sealed the win with one ball to spare.

India won the toss and elected to bowl, striking early as Arshdeep Singh dismissed Tim Seifert for 7 and Prince Yadav removed Finn Allen for 16; Bhuvneshwar Kumar then had Daryl Mitchell caught for 6 as New Zealand slipped to 18/2 and went on to lose three wickets for 41 runs. Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs rebuilt the innings with a 116-run partnership, Phillips making 70 off 43 balls and Jacobs 58 off 46. The partnership put the hosts back on course and New Zealand finished 180/5 in their 20 overs.

India’s chase faltered when they collapsed to 70/5, with Naman Dhir contributing 31 off 17 balls and keeping the hosts under pressure before Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy took control. Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls while Reddy finished 26 not out off 13 deliveries. Their unbroken 69-run stand carried India to the target and the four-wicket victory.

Glenn Phillips remains the leading run-scorer in the T20I series after his fifty in Christchurch, with 152 runs in two innings including an unbeaten 82 in the opener. Bevon Jacobs moved into second on the list after his 58 in the second match, while Sanju Samson sits third with 81 runs. Naman Dhir has accumulated 73 runs in two matches and Finn Allen completes the top five with 61 runs.

Mitchell Santner leads the wicket-taking charts following an excellent spell in the second T20I, picking up four wickets for 21 runs and taking his series total to six wickets in two matches. Arshdeep Singh is second on the list with three wickets, Michael Bracewell has taken two, and several other bowlers have one wicket apiece so far in the series.

India will seek to extend their winning run in the third T20I, while New Zealand aim to recover and remain in contention in the five-match series.