India’s T20 juggernaut rolled on with a seven-wicket thrashing of New Zealand in Raipur, sealing the second match and putting the visitors under severe pressure in the series. Suryakumar Yadav, the architect of the win, didn’t hold back on a tactical hiccup that tested his patience.
During the powerplay, Ishan Kishan hogged the strike, leaving Suryakumar fuming on the non-striker’s end. ‘I was upset that he wasn’t rotating the strike to me,’ SKY confessed. However, recognizing the momentum Ishan was building, he let it play out.
What followed was a masterclass. Ishan’s aggressive assault transformed a shaky start into a powerplay explosion, setting up partnerships that dismantled the target. Suryakumar’s 82* featured brutal strokeplay, including partnerships of 122 with Ishan and 81* with Dube.
‘Our batsmen are encouraged to play freely, and Ishan exemplified that,’ Suryakumar noted. He lauded the bowlers for restricting New Zealand despite their promising position. ‘The camp is buzzing with positivity, and I’m loving every bit of this form.’
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, unbeaten on 47, acknowledged India’s dominance. ‘Their batting depth is scary; we needed to keep them under pressure, but they came out firing.’ With dew complicating spin, Santner focused on learning from the defeat as the series intensifies.