On the back of the hammering they received in the first match, New Zealand host India in the second T20I of the ongoing series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24. India currently lead the series 1-0, and if the Kiwis do not come back strongly, they will have to play catch up throughout the series. India's strong batting unit carried them over the line in the first game, and the same will be expected here as well.
However, the worries surrounding their weak-looking bowling unit continue. New Zealand, for their part, struggled with the ball, too. It is going tol be interesting to see how they come back from the shocking six-wicket defeat in the first match at the same venue. Their spinners, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner, interestingly, did well by picking up a couple of wickets apiece.
Predicted Teams
NZ: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Kyle Jamieson.
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Yadav.
Key Players
Finn Allen (NZ): At the top of the order, Finn Allen plays an important role for New Zealand. He is renowned for batting with utmost freedom and taking the attack to seam bowlers inside the powerplay. Allen is a stroke-maker who makes use of the fielding restrictions to good effect. He is strong both on the front foot and back foot, and can comfortably play attacking shots against deliveries pitched at a hard length. If the Indians bowl short at him, they will be punished because he is very strong both on the cut and pull.
Naman Dhir (IND): Very little credit is given to lower-order batter Naman Dhir for the way he holds the Indians together at the death. His 15-ball unbeaten 42 was vital in taking them over the line in the first match, and he will be expected to play a similar role here as well. While he is occasionally called upon to bowl some off-breaks, Dhir's primary role in the side is as a finisher at the death. The Punjab batter uses his long levers to good effect to get under most deliveries and loft them out of the stadium. Alongside Shivam Dube, he forms one of the deadliest finishing pairs in Indian cricket.
Match Prediction
India, despite being fatigued by their constant travel, now have momentum on their side. They are backed to win. New Zealand will find this strong Indian batting unit hard to contain, and will have to look for ways to get them out cheaply. Unless the Kiwis break the Indian opening partnership early, they will be unable to keep up with their scoring rate. Not letting Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma score freely is the key for New Zealand. India are much stronger with the bat.
New Zealand vs India – First T20I Overview (22.10.2026)
India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the first match of the five-game series between the teams at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22. New Zealand batted first in this match and put up a mammoth total of 225-4. Although the pitch was conducive to batting, the Kiwis took their time to understand India's tactics before launching their assault.
Openers Tim Seifert (24) and Finn Allen (45) got the Kiwis off to an excellent start, which Daryl Mitchell (28) carried on. However, the star of the show for the home team was Glenn Phillips, who scored an unbeaten 82. He used just 40 deliveries, while hitting eight boundaries and three sixes. Bevon Jacobs provided a nice finishing act with 31 off 16 balls. Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel picked up a wicket apiece for the Indians.
In reply, India got off to a terrific start, with their openers Sanju Samson (67) and Abhishek Sharma (29) building a 93-run partnership inside the powerplay. Tilak Varma failed to make it count and got out for 6 off 11 balls, but captain Shreyas Iyer soon upped the ante by hitting one boundary and two sixes for his 28-ball 42. Things still seemed challenging for India on this placid surface, but lower-order batter Naman Dhir's unbeaten 42 off just 15 deliveries released all anxiety from the dressing room.
All-rounder Axar Patel's 24 also provided some help to Dhir. The Kiwis were flabbergasted by this four-wicket defeat, especially after they had thought that the game was in the bag. Surprisingly, their spinners Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner snapped up a couple of wickets apiece on a surface traditionally known to assist seamers. India now lead the five-match series 1-0.