- By Himanshu Badola
- Sat, 24 Jan 2026 01:35 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I: After helping India beat New Zealand in the second T20I in Raipur on Friday on the back of a dominating performance, skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed Ishan Kishan's blistering performance with the bat. Both Suryakumar and Kishan smashed fifties as India pulled off a record run chase to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
India took just 15.2 overs to chase down the massive target of 209 runs. Despite losing both the openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, cheaply, the Men in Blue faced no problems and turned it into a nightmare for the New Zealand bowlers. Kishan smashed an outstanding fifty, his first on his return to the Indian team after two years. He played an incredible knock of 76 runs in 32 balls on the back of 11 fours and four sixes. On the other hand, Suryakumar also ended his long and frustrating wait for a fifty, reaching the milestone for the first time since 2024.
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During the post-match presentation, Suryakumar also mentioned why he was angry with Kishan during their 122-run partnership for the third wicket. "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. But that's what we want for our batters to be able to express themselves. I was angry he wasn't giving me a strike in the powerplay but I was able to get a hold of the conditions," Suryakumar said.
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Suryakumar remained unbeaten on 82 runs in 37 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes. He stitched an 81-run partnership with Shivam Dube (36* off 18) for the fourth wicket.
When asked about his batting, Suryakumar said, "I've been batting well in the nets, had a good break, and had a good practice session before the game too. Incredible effort with the ball. When they were 110 for 2, I thought it would be a 230-odd total, but all the bowlers chipped in and took responsibility. I am really enjoying what's happening right now. The mood is happy in the camp, and I want to keep them in that space."
India look in magnificent touch ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. They will be looking to maintain it and carry the form into the tournament, which kicks off on February 7. The Men in Blue now have three more matches to finalise their team combination and outclass the Blackcaps to take the revenge for the ODI series defeat.