India crush New Zealand in 2nd T20I: Key takeaways
Riding on Suryakumar Yadav's sensational century, India beat New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20I. As the opener of the three-match series got abandoned, India now have an unassailable 1-0 lead. It was indeed a dominating performance from the visitors as the Kiwis did not really look in the hunt. Suryakumar starred with an unbeaten 51-ball 111. Here are the key takeaways.
How did the match pan out?
India posted 191/6 after being asked to bat first at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. While SKY slammed a ton, Ishan Kishan (36) was the only other Indian batter to cross the 15-run mark. Tim Southee recorded a hat-trick in the last over. In reply, NZ lost wickets at regular intervals and never really looked in the hunt. They were bundled out for 126.
Second T20I ton for Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar smashed his second ton in the format off just 49 deliveries. His knock was laced with 11 boundaries and seven sixes. He is the highest run-scorer in T20Is this year, having scored 1,151 runs in 30 games. The tally includes nine half-centuries and a couple of centuries. Only Mohammad Rizwan has scored more T20I runs in a calendar year, 1,326 in 2021.
Astonishing numbers in death overs!
SKY scored 62 runs off just 20 deliveries in the last five overs. This was the third instance of SKY scoring 50-plus runs in the last five overs of a T20I match. Overall, he strikes at 255.78 in this phase in T20Is.
Other India batters could not turn up
While Suryakumar dazzled in the contest, he didn't get much support. Besides Kishan (36), no other Indian batter could make a significant impact. Rishabh Pant could only manage six while opening the batting. Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer scored 13 runs apiece. In fact, besides SKY, all other Indian batter combined scored 69 off as many deliveries. 11 runs came through extras.
Tim Southee scripts history
Tim Southee, who is the highest wicket-taker in T20Is, became the second bowler after Lasith Malinga to claim two T20I hat-tricks. He dismissed Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, and Washington Sundar in the final over to attain this feat. The veteran pacer returned with figures of 3/34 in four overs. Southee took his first hat-trick in December 2010 against Pakistan.
Ish Sodhi attains this feat
Veteran leg-spinner Ish Sodhi recorded figures of 1/35 in four overs. He has now taken joint-most T20I wickets against India (21). While he shares the feat with England's Chris Jordan, Southee (18) holds the second place.
Cautious knock from Kane Williamson
Although NZ skipper Kane Williamson scored 61 runs in the contest, he played 52 balls. His strike rate has been a hot topic of discussion lately. In 2022, Williamson has scored 437 runs in 13 T20Is, striking at just over 118. Although it can be argued that Williamson didn't get support from the other end, his approach did not really help NZ.
Fine spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, after a dismal ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign, roared back to form with a brilliant spell. He dismissed opener Finn Allen for a duck in the opening over. The 32-year-old returned with figures of 1/12 in three overs.
How did other Indian bowlers perform?
Meanwhile, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal delivered a fine spell and recorded figures of 2/26 in four overs. Pacer Mohammed Siraj returned with 2/24 in his quota of overs. Arshdeep Singh went wicketless and conceded 19 runs in three overs. While Washington Sundar claimed 1/24 in two overs, Deepak Hooda surprisingly took four wickets, three in the 19th over. He claimed 4/10 in 2.5 overs.
