Tilak Varma hits unbeaten 51 as India beat New Zealand by four wickets
Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 rescued India from 112 for six in a four-wicket win over New Zealand.
Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 from 26 balls as India chased down 181 to beat New Zealand by four wickets in the second T20I at Hagley Oval on Saturday. India slipped to 112 for six before Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy added an unbroken 69 for the seventh wicket. Reddy finished with 26 not out from 13 balls, hitting the winning runs off the penultimate delivery.
Mitchell Santner took four for 21 for New Zealand. The victory gives India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Varma said before the match that coaches Gautam Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak told him the team believed in him and that batting till the end would win the game.
The 23-year-old also set a new T20I record by taking his 26th catch of 2026, surpassing Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe. The series continues in Wellington on October 27.
CricHubb Take
Varma's record catches this year show his value extends beyond batting, yet selection debates still focus only on his runs.