Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 82 powers India to seven-wicket win over New Zealand

Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 82 and Ishan Kishan’s fiery 76 powered India to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Raipur, chasing 209 in just 15.2 overs. India now lead the five-match T20I series 2-0

Raipur: Skipper Suryakumar Yadav finally produced a big knock, scoring an unbeaten 82 while Ishan Kishan contributed a fiery 76 as India romped to a seven-wicket victory with 28 balls remaining against New Zealand in the second T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.

It was the second-highest successful chase in India’s T20I history. Only India’s 211/4 against Sri Lanka in Mohali in 2009 stands above it, with the Raipur effort eclipsing chases of 209/4 vs West Indies (Hyderabad, 2019), 209/8 vs Australia (Vizag, 2023), and 204/4 vs New Zealand (Auckland, 2020).

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The emphatic finish was also the biggest win by balls remaining for a full member nation while chasing a target of over 200. It surpassed Pakistan’s 24-ball victory against New Zealand in Auckland in 2025 and Australia’s 23-ball win over West Indies in Basseterre that same year.

India’s response started shakily despite some help from the dew. Sanju Samson went out for 6, Abhishek Sharma made a golden duck, and the hosts were suddenly 6 for 2. What followed was a stunning counterattack. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav put up 122 runs in just 48 balls for the third wicket, turning a tough chase into an easy stroll.

Kishan inflicted most of the damage early, racing to a 21-ball fifty and finishing with 76 from 32 balls before mis-hitting Ish Sodhi for a catch off his own bowling. By then, the momentum had shifted decisively.

Suryakumar, who had struggled early at 10 from 10 balls, switched gears and accelerated. Shivam Dube, promoted up the order, smashed a quickfire 36 at a strike rate of 200, adding 81 runs with Suryakumar for the fourth wicket to seal the chase.

Suryakumar finished with 82 from 37 balls, underlining his class and importance to the team just weeks before the home T20 World Cup.

Earlier, New Zealand set India a stiff target after Suryakumar won the toss and chose to bowl. Rachin Ravindra top-scored with 44 off 26 balls, while skipper Mitchell Santner added an unbeaten 47 off 27 balls. Zak Foulkes chipped in with 15 not out as New Zealand finished at 208/6.

New Zealand’s bowlers had a forgettable outing. Zak Foulkes conceded 67 runs in three overs — the highest ever by a T20I bowler from a full member team, breaking Liam McCarthy’s record of 63 runs for Ireland against West Indies in 2025. Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, and Matt Henry took one wicket each, but India’s batting onslaught proved unstoppable.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler with 2/35. Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Shivam Dube took one wicket each, though the rest of the attack struggled on a batting-friendly surface.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 208/6 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 47, Rachin Ravindra 44; Kuldeep Yadav 2-35, Hardik Pandya 1-25) lost to India 209/3 in 15.2 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 82 not out, Ishan Kishan 76; Jacob Duffy 1-38, Ish Sodhi 1-34) by seven wickets.