RAIPUR, India (AP) — Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav blasted half-centuries for India to beat New Zealand by seven wickets and lead their Twenty20 series 2-0 on Friday.
Kishan smacked 76 off 32 balls with 11 boundaries and four sixes. Yadav top-scored with 82 not out off 37 balls, with nine fours and four sixes.
Shivam Dube finished off the chase with an unbeaten 36 off 18, including three sixes, as India reached 209-3 in 15.2 overs.
New Zealand put up a sub-par 208-6 on a beautiful batting pitch.
Asked what par was, captain Mitchell Santner said, “Against these guys, 300 maybe?”
Rachin Ravindra led the Black Caps top order with 44 off 28 without much support. Santner added 47 not out off 27 to push New Zealand past 200.
Guwahati hosts the third T20 on Sunday in the five-match series.
India started off 6-2 after seven balls.
Kishan then steamrolled to 50 off 21 and the fastest T20 half-century for India against New Zealand. In the 100-run stand with Yadav, Yadav contributed only 19.
The pair blew away the New Zealand bowlers for 122 off 48 balls when Kishan was caught at square leg off Ish Sodhi in the 10th over.
“I don’t know what Ishan had in the afternoon for lunch but I have never seen someone batting that way at 6 for 2 and ending the powerplay on 60-odd,” Yadav said. “I was angry he wasn’t giving me strike in the powerplay but I was able to get a hold of the conditions.”
Yadav took up the charge with with a 23-ball half-century, his first in 24 T20s stretching back to October 2024. Yadav had some luck; he was dropped on 43, 64 and 70.
He and Dube gave New Zealand no respite as they combined for 81 off 37 balls to round up the innings.
India won with 28 balls to spare, the most by a full member chasing 200-plus in T20s.
New Zealand was made to bat first and openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert showcased the easy nature of the pitch with a shared 43 off 20 balls.
Ravindra hit four sixes and set the stage for a tall total but India struck at regular intervals — in-form Glenn Phillips was out for 19 off 13 and Daryl Mitchell for 18 off 11.
New Zealand was down to 125-4 in the 12th over and, despite a good scoring rate, suffered when Ravindra was caught off Kuldeep Yadav in the 13th over.
Kuldeep Yadav, playing for the injured Axar Patel, took 2-35 in four overs.
