IND vz NZ 2022-23: India came up with a composed performance to see off New Zealand by six wickets in the second Lucknow T20I on Wednesday. As the Men in Blue have set-up a decider for the final match, netizens were gladdened by this low-scoring thriller.
Team India managed to sneak past New Zealand by six wickets in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday. However, the hosts might consider themselves lucky, as the fixture was a low-scoring thriller, with the Men in Blue winning with just a ball to spare. Moreover, the match had no sixes involved making it the game to lack a single sixes with the most balls being played (239), considering two full-member sides playing. Meanwhile, the Indians have drawn level in the three-contest series and would be playing the decider in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, whereas the netizens were gladdened by the tough fight between the two in this tie.
Not one, but two crucial wins today 💙
Stuff is made of! 🎉🥳🇮🇳 | |
Winning the toss, NZ skipper Mitchell Santner opted to bat first, considering the defending team's advantage at the venue. However, the decision appeared to have backfired this time, as the visitors were 28/2 by the fifth over of the PowerPlay (PP). At the same time, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, failing to build an effective partnership as the Indian spinners wreaked havoc.
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This is horrible! This mix up was not needed.. Surya Kumar Yadav should not have done that..
When he saw that Sundar was not running.. He intentionally pushed Sundar despite knowing that the run would not complete.. He infact forced Sundar to get out.. pic.twitter.com/Q0pk3gLjgy
Eventually, the Kiwis could manage just 99/8. None of their batters could even touch the 20-mark, with Santner being the top-scorer, with an unbeaten 19. As for the Indians. it was mostly a consolidated effort, with pacer Arshdeep Singh grabbing a couple, while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was heavily economical.
Pandya bowled 4 overs and Chahal only 2 in this spin pitch ☹️ pic.twitter.com/PuAi9XIeIV
— VK45🇮🇳 (@sportslovervk45)In reply, the Men in Blue were off to a rocky start, losing Shubman Gill (11) in the fourth over of the PP with 17 runs on the board. However, the low target did not allow the hosts to panic. While fellow opener Ishan Kishan (19) and Rahul Tripathi (13) tailored a 29-run partnership for the second wicket, the former was run out in the ninth.
Kuldeep yadav 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tTHHd45LI5
However, Suryakumar Yadav (26*) and Hardik Pandya (15*) took charge for the remainder of the innings to see off the chase and hand India a six-wicket success with just a ball to spare. The lack of boundaries made things worst for the Indians, followed by healthy bowling by the NZ spinners.
When Hooda didn't get ball to bowl everyone was moaning, now two proper bowlers are not getting Bowl and everything is fine. How on earth they're going to improve as bowlers, by fielding? AWFULLY AWEFUL CAPTAIN.
— Atheist AF (@atheist__af)Nevertheless, failure to execute shots properly and no sixes being hit during the entire contest proves that the track was plodding. For the New Zealanders, spinners Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi claimed a wicket each, while the former was the most economical one from his side.
Where are those who were mocking Babar Azam's SR in ODI vs NZL? Look at No:1 batsman SKY SR in T20 he's playing with 70 SR. now I hope you understand every player play according to suitation But to understand that one must have brains which you guys don't have.
— Abdul samad (@Ab_Samad122)