Tilak Varma struck a brutal half-century as India powered to a thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20 on Saturday for a 2-0 series lead.

The tourists scored 68 runs from the last 4.5 overs in Christchurch to clinch victory with a ball to spare, having looked down and out when they were reduced to 70-5 in the 11th over, in pursuit of 181.

Varma carved 51 not out off 26 balls while Nitish Kumar Reddy struck the winning runs in an unbeaten 26 off 13 to hand India control of the five-match series.

The result matched their four-wicket win in the opening match at the same Hagley Oval venue two days earlier, which was achieved with two balls to spare.

Varma said he never felt overwhelmed even as the required run rate grew.

“It was going through my mind, that I wanted to take the game as deep as possible and I have done it, so I’m really proud of myself.

“Nitish Reddy and myself, we’re really happy that we’ve finished the game,” said Varma, who devised a plan to see off New Zealand’s accurate spinners before unleashing against their seam attack at the death.

“There was definitely that intent. We wanted to push it into the gaps and run hard [against the spinners]. They were really crucial, those runs.

“So we played smartly there and later on we know we can get success off the fast bowlers. We have finished off in style.”

New Zealand’s bowling was led by captain Mitchell Santner, who took 4-21 through the middle stages as India’s top order failed to match their dynamic batting from game one, when they chased down 225.

Spinner Santner claimed the scalp of dangerous opener Abhishek Sharma for 27 in his first over and Naman Dhir for 31 in his fourth to have the tourists teetering at 112-6.

However, Tilak in particular swung the bat brilliantly over the closing stages, finding the boundary four times in the penultimate over bowled by Nathan Smith.

Santner lamented New Zealand’s inability to close the door on the T20 world champions’ deep batting lineup.

“You play a very good team, it’s always going to be like that,” Santner said. “I think if we got one more wicket there, it was really game over.

“The way they controlled that chase, they made us make some errors at the end. Tilak and Naman Dhir and obviously Reddy at the end really played pretty well.”

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed for four, the 15-year-old batting sensation having been called into the side to replace the injured Ishan Kishan.

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips scored his second straight half-century as the hosts recovered from 41-3 to post 180-5.

Phillips struck four sixes in his 70 off 43 balls as he put on 116 in a fourth-wicket rearguard with Bevon Jacobs, whose 58 came off 46 balls.

Seamer Arshdeep Singh was India’s best bowler, taking 2-33 off four overs.

Game three is in Wellington on Tuesday.