India defeated New Zealand by four wickets after chasing down 181 runs with one ball remaining in Christchurch.

Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy starred in India's comeback after Mitchell Santner claimed four wickets to put the visitors under pressure.

India registered a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 24. Chasing a target of 181, the visitors recovered from a dramatic middle-order collapse to seal the win with one ball remaining and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

The match produced several twists, with Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs rescuing New Zealand after an early collapse before Mitchell Santner threatened to derail India’s chase. However, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy held their nerve in the closing overs to guide India to a memorable victory, prompting fans to react on social media.

Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs revive New Zealand after early collapse

India’s bowlers made an impressive start after the visitors elected to field first. New Zealand slipped to 41/3 inside the powerplay, with Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Finn Allen departing cheaply. Phillips and Jacobs then stitched together a crucial 116-run partnership to rebuild the innings. Phillips smashed 70 off 43 deliveries, including four fours and four sixes, while Jacobs scored 58 off 46 balls.

Michael Bracewell added an unbeaten 10 off just two deliveries as New Zealand finished at 180/5. India’s chase began poorly as the hosts struck at regular intervals. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls, while Naman Dhir’s quickfire 31 off 17 deliveries briefly revived India’s hopes. However, Santner’s outstanding spell of 4/21 left the visitors struggling at 112/6.

Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy seal a thrilling win

With the match slipping away, Tilak and Reddy produced a sensational late partnership to turn the contest around. Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, while Reddy contributed an unbeaten 26 off 13 deliveries. India needed 29 runs from the final 12 balls before Tilak smashed 18 runs off Nathan Smith in the 19th over.

The visitors entered the final over needing 11 runs and completed the chase against Jacob Duffy with one ball remaining. India finished at 181/6 in 19.5 overs, securing their second consecutive win in the series. The dramatic finish, Santner’s brilliant spell and India’s late counter-attack gave fans plenty to discuss online.

Here’s how fans reacted:

Remarkable turnaround here in Christchurch as India go 2-0 up in the series ⚡✨#TeamIndia #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/w5FWubhDL8

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) October 24, 2026

A late surge from India powers them to a 2-0 lead in the T20I series against New Zealand 💪

📝: https://t.co/hEloMLNHci pic.twitter.com/C6Dcsu5vCg

— ICC (@ICC) October 24, 2026

Tilak 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇 Varma 🫡

The #TeamIndia Vice-Captain walks away with a well-deserved POTM award 👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/FZtUFIFWS2#NZvIND pic.twitter.com/zyfDlnctxQ

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 24, 2026

Superb victory for India. I thought NZ had it after 11 overs in India’s innings. Tilak Varma has transformed into a beast at No.6 in this format.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) October 24, 2026

Versatility of Tilak Varma is Admirable.

This win came on the back of his sheer ability to bat anywhere and to be able to deliver under pressure puts him in a diffrent league.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 24, 2026

🚨 One of the Greatest Comebacks by Indian Team 🚨

India were 70/5 in 11, then came Naman Dhir smashed quick fire 31 and now India required 69 in last 5 overs 😨

Then, Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy made a match which we already lost and scored 69 in last 29 balls🔥#INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/8WzhOXVmeG

— Ajay Jadeja (@AjayJadeja171) October 24, 2026

26 BALL UNBEATEN 51 BY TILAK VARMA SEALS THE GAME FOR INDIA. 🇮🇳

– A 2-0 lead in New Zealand for Shreyas Iyer and his boys! pic.twitter.com/1jqibkuglY

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 24, 2026

Tilak Varma has not only made India win today, he has made India win many times before this also.

If Tilak Verma plays badly in one or two matches, people troll him but today he played very well.

— Subhajit Das (@SantaniSubhajit) October 24, 2026

First match – Naman Dhir.
Second match – Tilak Varma.

MI BOYS ARE DOING FOR INDIA IN T20Is 💙🔵 pic.twitter.com/oYg8nQd0HK

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 24, 2026

Tilak varma and nitish reddy did the job for india telugolla dheba adhurs💪🔥🇮🇳 #INDvsNZOnSonyLIV @TilakV9 @NKReddy07 pic.twitter.com/5NFEHEKiVa

— JD_77_ (@janak_06_) October 24, 2026