Watch: India hold nerve in tense last-over finish for 4-wicket win vs New Zealand in 2nd T20I

By the end of the 11th over, it seemed like New Zealand had made a strong comeback in the second T20I of the five-match series against India and equalled the series scoreline before leaving the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. But Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy held their nerve to earn the tense last-over win by four wickets. 

The Shreyas Iyer-led side was nowhere near completing the chase. But the fine unbeaten partnership of 69 runs for the seventh wicket between Reddy and Varma propelled them over the winning margin and helped them take a 0-2 lead in the five-match series.

Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy steer India home at Hagley Oval

The last over started with the Indian side needing 11 runs to win as both Reddy and Tilak Varma were in red-hot form. The first delivery of the over from Jacob Duffy was pulled hard into the mid-off ring by Nitish Reddy for a single before Varma released the pressure with a fine boundary through the extra cover region. 

Watch the last-over finish for India- 

The left-handed batter celebrated his half-century with a couple on the third ball of the final over. That was followed by a single on the fourth ball and the wide, which brought the equation down to two runs being required in two balls.

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On the penultimate ball of the chase, Reddy timed the ball into the leg side and came back for a couple of runs to complete the chase by four wickets. Varma remained unbeaten on 51 runs off 26 balls with the help of six boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 196.15.

How India completed the 181 chase despite Santner’s four wickets to lead 2-0

Despite losing three wickets inside the powerplay of the first innings, New Zealand were able to end up with 180 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to the 116-run fourth wicket stand between the two half-centurions between Glenn Philips and Bevon Jacobs. 

It was nearly the same situation for the Indian side, who were reduced to 70/5 in the 11th over of the chase. But Naman Dhir brought the chase on track with 31 runs off 17 balls before Reddy and Varma’s unbeaten 69 run chase of 30 balls completed the chase by four wickets.

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Brief Scores: India 181/6 (Tilak Varma 51, Mitchell Santner 4/21) beat New Zealand 180/5 (Glenn Phillips 70, Arshdeep Singh 2/33) by 4 wickets.