Tilak Varma's Unbeaten 51 Steers India to Four-Wicket Win

Christchurch, October 24

Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 powered India to a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20 International at Hagley Oval on Saturday, helping the visitors take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

New Zealand set a target of 181, but India lost five wickets with the score on 70, leaving the chase in doubt. Tilak then batted with Naman Dhir, who scored 31, in a 42-run sixth-wicket stand. He later added an unbroken 69 runs in just 30 balls with Nitish Reddy, who finished on 26 not out, to complete the win.

The innings recalled Tilak's performance in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, where he also rose to the occasion in a difficult situation. He was rewarded with the Player of the Match award after the game.

Tilak shared the message that shaped his mindset during the chase. Before the match, head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had told him that the team had full faith in him and that the whole country believed in him. ‘If you stay till the end, you will win the match for us,’ he recalled. ‘That was all I was thinking about. I wanted to take the game deep, and in the end, what everyone trusted happened. I am proud of myself.’

He described the tactical discussion with Dhir in the middle. ‘I told Naman we would stay till the end. The pitch was a little slower than the last match, so we decided to run quickly between the wickets when the spinners were bowling. We did that, and it worked. Naman's dismissal to Mitchell Santner in his final over was unfortunate. Otherwise I think we would have finished it in the 18th over.’

Tilak said the eight to ten runs gained through quick running against spin were vital. ‘We took four or five twos against the spinners, and those runs were very important. We were looking for the right ball to attack, and we knew we could hit sixes against the pace bowlers on a big ground. We waited for the right time and finished the innings in style.’

Santner took four wickets for New Zealand, but the visitors' middle-order partnerships proved too strong. Tilak and Reddy, both from Hyderabad, combined to seal a win that had seemed out of reach.