NEW DELHI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav regained form ahead of the team’s title defence at next month’s World Cup as he and Ishan Kishan smashed rapid fifties to secure their seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second Twenty20 Interna­tional in Raipur on Friday.

Suryakumar hammered an unbeaten 82 after Kishan’s blistering 76 as India chased down a target of 209 with 28 balls to spare for a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Put into bat, New Zealand posted a commanding 208-6 with captain Mitchell Santner top-scoring for them with an unbeaten 47.

India rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and did not risk spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel, who suffered a thumb injury in the first match, ahead of the T20 World Cup.

New Zealand began briskly against India’s depleted attack before openers Devon Conway (19) and Tim Seifert (24) fell in successive overs.

Rachin Ravindra (44) smashed four sixes and two fours in his 26-ball blitz before falling to spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who also got rid of the dangerous Glenn Phillips (19).

Santner and Zak Foulkes, who made 15 not out, took New Zealand past the 200-mark.

India wobbled in their chase losing Sanju Samson in the first over while fellow opener Abhishek Sharma fell for a first-ball duck in the next.

Kishan counter-attacked in a spectacular manner hitting four sixes and 11 fours in his 32-ball knock.

Suryakumar’s first fifty in 24 T20 Internationals was not a chanceless knock, though, and the India captain was dropped three times including once by his New Zealand counterpart Santner.

Shivam Dube made 36 not out off 18 balls in a dominant batting display by the hosts.

The teams now move to Guwahati for the third match on Sunday.

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND:

D. Conway c Pandya b Rana 19

T. Seifert c Kishan b Chakaravarthy 24

R. Ravindra c A. Singh b K. Yadav 44

G. Phillips c Pandya b K. Yadav 19

D. Mitchell c Pandya b Dube 18

M. Chapman c Sharma b Pandya 10

M. Santner not out 47

Z. Foulkes not out 15

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, W-6) 12

TOTAL (for six wickets, 20 overs) 208

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-43 (Conway), 2-43 (Seifert), 3-98 (Phillips), 4-125 (Mitchell), 5-129 (Ravindra), 6-161 (Chapman)

DID NOT BAT: M. Henry, I. Sodhi, J. Duffy

BOWLING: A. Singh 4-0-53-0 (1w), Pandya 3-0-25-1 (1w), Rana 3-1-35-1 (2w), Chakaravarthy 4-0-35-1 (2w), K. Yadav 4-0-35-2, Sharma 1-0-12-0, Dube 1-0-7-1

INDIA:

S. Samson c Ravindra b Henry 6

A. Sharma c Conway b Duffy 0

I. Kishan c Henry b Sodhi 76

S. Yadav not out 82

S. Dube not out 36

EXTRAS (NB-1, W-8) 9

TOTAL (for three wickets, 15.2 overs) 209

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Samson), 2-6 (Sharma), 3-128 (Kishan)

DID NOT BAT: R. Singh, H. Pandya, H. Rana, A. Singh, K. Yadav, V. Chakravarthy

BOWLING: Henry 3-0-41-1 (1w), Duffy 4-0-38-1 (1w), Foulkes 3-0-67-0 (5w, 1nb), Santner 2-0-27-0 (1w), Sodhi 3-0-34-1, Mitchell 0.2-0-2-0

RESULT: India won by seven wickets.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026