India chase 181 to beat NZ in 2nd T20I

• India chase down 181 to take 2-0 lead against New Zealand
• Tilak Varma hits unbeaten 51 to rescue India from 112/6
• Third T20I will be played in Wellington from 7:30 PM IST

India pulled off a heist by chasing down the target if 181 against New Zealand in the second T20I of the five-match series to take a 2-0 lead. Reeling

at 112/6 after 14.5 overs, India were in a spot of bother and needed special innings from Tilak Varma and Nitish Kuma Reddy. The star Indian players punished the NZ bowlers and added 69 runs for the seventh wicket to propel the Men in Blue to a famous win. Tilak, the vice-captain of the T20I team, remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls. He batted at a strike rate of 196.15. Nitish batted at a strike rate of 200 and remained unbeaten on 26 off 13 balls. Following the game, head coach Gautam Gambhir shared a special post for India's match-winners. “Boys becoming Men," he wrote on X. His post featured Tilak, Nitish and Naman Dhir.

Naman, who has been enjoying a purple patch since his debut, scored a crucial 31 off 17 balls. He took the lead role during his 42-run partnership with Tilak and scored 31.

Tilak had a chat with Gambhir before the game

Following his match-winning knock, Tilak revealed that he spoke to Gambhir and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak before the fixture. "I was just thinking about playing till the end. Before today's game, I was talking to Gautam sir and Kotak sir - that whole India believes in you and that if I bat till the end, we can win," he said.

"Really proud of myself. I was saying to Naman that we can stay till the end. Wicket was slower. I was telling Naman we will push hard when the spinners were bowling. Unfortunately, Naman got out in Mitchell's last over. Otherwise, we could have won in the 18th," Tilak added. The third T20I of the series will be played at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington from 7:30 PM IST.