Iyer Backs Tilak, Reddy and Dhir After Thrilling T20 Win

A tense chase at Hagley Oval ended in India's favour on Saturday, as the hosts were beaten by four wickets in the second T20 of the series. The result leaves India with a 2-0 advantage in the five-match contest.

After the win, captain Shreyas Iyer credited the collective strength of the squad. He said that he believed each player in the team could change the outcome of a game, and that the match had shown exactly that.

"When we kept losing wickets one after another, it seemed the match was going away from us," Iyer said. "But Tilak and Reddy showed determination. Naman Dhir also played an excellent knock."

Dhir made 31 runs from 17 deliveries. Iyer spoke about his batting and bowling skills, noting that players who contribute in both departments give a team added solidity.

"He has been a good bowler as well, and we had seen that in the home series against the West Indies," the captain said. "His agility on the field tells you he is a complete cricketer."

New Zealand had posted 181 runs for victory. India were reduced to five wickets down for 70 before the recovery began. Mitchell Santner, with figures of 4 for 21, had put India on the back foot during that phase.

Iyer acknowledged the difficulty posed by spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell, particularly in the middle overs. "We played a lot of dot balls at the start, and that increased the pressure of the run rate. Our idea was to build the chase in a controlled manner, but they bowled superbly. Hitting the ball was not easy. Still, if we had found the gaps and kept the boundaries coming, we could have won easily. It was just a bad day, and I am sure we will come back strongly."

On fielding, Iyer stressed the importance of denying New Zealand the second run. "Every player was told to read each ball early and to assume that only a single should be conceded. Moving quickly toward the ball makes batters think twice before running two."