India beat New Zealand by four wickets with one ball to spare at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 24 October 2026 to go 2-0 up in the T20I series. Tilak Varma was player of the match for his unbeaten 51 off 26 balls, which steered India past a target of 181 despite Mitchell Santner's 4/21.
How It Unfolded
India won the toss and chose to field. New Zealand posted 180/5, built on half-centuries from Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs. Phillips top-scored with 70 off 43 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes, while Jacobs made 58 off 46 balls. Finn Allen added 16 off 14, and Michael Bracewell finished with 10 not out off just 2 balls. Arshdeep Singh was India's best bowler with 2/33 from four overs, and Prince Yadav took 1/30. Nitish Kumar Reddy took 1/31 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/50.
India's chase was a close one. Abhishek Sharma made 27 off 21 balls and Sanju Samson 14 off 17, and Naman Dhir struck 31 off 17 balls with three sixes. Santner kept New Zealand in the game with 4/21 from his four overs, but Varma held the innings together, hitting six fours and a six in his 51 not out. Reddy supported him with 26 not out off 13 balls, and India reached 181/6 in 19.5 overs. Matt Henry conceded only 11 runs from two overs, including a maiden, while Jacob Duffy took 1/41 and Nathan Smith 1/34.
The Oracle's Call
The CricMind Oracle locked India at 73% and New Zealand at 27% before the toss, and the call was correct. The model rated India first in the world at 1683 against New Zealand's 1540 in sixth, gave New Zealand a 30-point home advantage, and had India in perfect recent form, with five wins from their last five matches. The full Oracle call sets out every factor.
What's Next
Both matches in the series have now gone India's way by four wickets, the first with two balls remaining and this one with one. With New Zealand 0-2 down and five matches to play, the CricMind series odds give India a 95% chance of winning the series. Follow every result on the India tour of New Zealand 2026/27 hub.
Source: Scorecard and the Oracle call.