IND vs NZ 2022-23, 2nd T20I: India sneaks past in a low-scoring thriller; netizens gladdened
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.
FollowTeam 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.
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.
ALSO READ:Â ICC Women's U-19 T20 World Cup 2023 - India decimates England by 7 wickets; supporters delighted
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.
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.
ALSO READ:Â IND VS AUS 2022-23: 'INDIAN SIDE IS POWERFUL; ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEAT IN HOME CONDITIONS' - IAN CHAPPELL
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.
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.
