🔥 IND vs NZ 2nd T20I Live: Ishan Kishan’s Explosive 50 Fires India in Epic Chase!

India’s T20 juggernaut faces New Zealand in the high-stakes second T20I of their five-match series at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. After a commanding 48-run victory in the opener in Nagpur, where India defended 239 to restrict NZ to 190/7, the hosts lead 1-0 and aim to extend their dominance ahead of the T20 World Cup.[1][2][3]

Captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first on a batting-friendly surface. New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert gave them a fiery start, but India’s bowlers struck back. Harshit Rana dismissed Conway for 19 off 9 balls, caught by Hardik Pandya at mid-off. Varun Chakravarthy then removed Seifert for 24 off 13, caught by Ishan Kishan. Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips fought back aggressively, with Ravindra smashing two sixes and a four off Rana in one over, pushing NZ to 64/2 at the end of powerplay. They eventually posted a challenging 208/6.[1][2][5]

Chasing 209, India lost Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck to Jacob Duffy early on. But Ishan Kishan unleashed a blistering counter-attack, slamming a 21-ball 50 to steady the innings. At one stage, India were 75/2, keeping the pressure on NZ.[1][2][5]

India rested Jasprit Bumrah, while Axar Patel was sidelined with a finger injury from the first match, replaced potentially by Kuldeep Yadav. Key performers included Shivam Dube and Varun Chakravarthy with two wickets each in the opener. New Zealand, buoyed by recent Test and ODI series wins in India—their first home Test series loss in 12 years for India—seek a series-leveling win under Mitchell Santner.[2][3]

This series is crucial preparation for the T20 World Cup, with India on a 10-series T20I winning streak including the World Cup and Asia Cup. New Zealand eyes momentum after their limited-overs successes.[2]