Raipur, Jan 23 (PTI) Kuldeep Yadav returned to form with two timely strikes in the middle overs as India limited New Zealand to 208 for 6 on a good batting surface in the second T20 International here on Friday. Rachin Ravindra (44 off 26) and skipper Mitchell Santner (47 not out off 27) took the attack to India in different phases of the game to ensure New Zealand got past 200-run mark.
Expecting heavy dew, skipper Suryakumar Yadav predictably opted to bowl with Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav playing instead of injured Axar Patel and rested Jasprit Bumrah.
Devon Conway (19 off 9) and Tim Seifert (24 off 13), fresh off BBL, got the Black Caps off to a flying start before falling in quick succession.
Conway, who has been caught in the slip cordon
multiple times on the white ball tour thus far, went on the offensive in the first over against Arshdeep Singh despite being beaten by an outswinger on the very first ball of the match.
Conway dispatched the left-arm seamer for three crisp fours and a sliced six over backward point for an 18-run over.
Seifert smashed four boundaries off Arshdeep’s following over that also went for 18 runs. Harshit Rana was introduced in the fourth over and he struck off his second ball, dismissing Conway for the fourth time in as many innings including his dominance over the left-handers in the ODI series.
Rachin Ravindra (44 off 23) came in and played some spectacular strokes before getting out on a wide ball from Kuldeep. However, the Indian wrist spinner’s first victim was the dangerous Glenn Phillips who could not connect the googly and was caught at backward point.
At 111/3 in 10 overs on a true surface, New Zealand looked on course for a total well over 200 but India were able to pull things back. Shivam Dube, the seventh bowling option introduced in the 12th over, got rid of the in-form Daryl Mitchell off a slower ball to build pressure on the opposition.
Santer ensued his team got 57 runs off the last five overs with a flurry of boundaries and a straight six off Hardik Pandya. PTI BS KHS
