India vice-captain Tilak Varma set a world record for the most catches by an outfielder in a calendar year in men’s T20Is during the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. Varma took catches to dismiss Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell, taking his tally to 26 in 32 matches in 2026.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl on the same pitch used for the series opener at Hagley Oval. New Zealand lost three wickets for just 41 runs in 5.2 overs. Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs then shared a 116-run fourth-wicket stand to help the hosts post a decent total of 180/5.

Tilak Varma Creates History During India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I

Tilak Varma reached the milestone within the first three overs of New Zealand’s innings. He caught opener Tim Seifert off Arshdeep Singh before taking Daryl Mitchell’s catch off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to surpass the previous benchmark.

His 26 catches in 32 matches put him ahead of Indonesia’s Danilson Hawoe, who took 25 catches in 41 matches in 2025.

Most catches in a calendar year in T20Is (outfielders)

Tilak Varma’s Key Catches Across the 2026 Schedule

Tilak Varma missed India’s five-match home T20I series against New Zealand in January because of an injury. After regaining fitness, he returned for the T20 World Cup and took two catches in India’s opening match against the United States at Wankhede Stadium.

He continued to contribute in the field during the tournament, taking one catch each against Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and England. In the March 8 final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, he claimed two catches, including the dismissal of Jacob Duffy that sealed the tournament’s final wicket.

After the World Cup, he took three catches in the second away T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 15. He also caught Finn Allen near the boundary during the opening match of the ongoing New Zealand series.

Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs Rescue New Zealand

India’s pace attack made an early impact in Christchurch. Arshdeep Singh dismissed Seifert for seven, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Mitchell for six. Prince Yadav then bowled Allen for 16 in the final over of the fielding restrictions, leaving New Zealand under pressure.

Glenn Phillips steadied the innings with 70 off 43 balls. He shared a crucial 116-run fourth-wicket partnership with Bevon Jacobs, who scored 50 off 40 deliveries to help the hosts recover.

Michael Bracewell added late boundaries to take New Zealand to 180/5. Arshdeep was India’s leading wicket-taker with 2/33, while Bhuvneshwar, Prince and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each.

India made two changes to their lineup for the match. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced the injured Ishan Kishan and moved into the number-three position, while Prince came in for Mayank Yadav. New Zealand made one change to their bowling attack, bringing in Duffy for Adam Milne.