The ongoing three-match T20I series between Team India and New Zealand was tied 1-1 after the 2nd T20I, which was won by Team India by 6 wickets. A thrilling championship match will be played on February 1, 2023, in Ahmedabad.
The Kiwis made their decision to bat first after winning the toss in light of the general perception of the Lucknow surface. But the wicket was a slow one to bat on and behaved like a rank turner. The Indian bowlers, though, put on a standout bowling performance that left the New Zealand hitters once more at their mercy. They were struggling against the Indian bowlers, especially spin bowlers.
The New Zealand batsmen managed a pitiful 99/8 in their 20 overs, failing to even reach the triple-digit threshold. Once again, the Indian bowlers were outstanding. Arshdeep Singh took two wickets, while all the other bowlers—including Hardik Pandya, the captain—took one each: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Deepak Hooda. In the one over he bowled, Shivam Mavi was the only bowler without a wicket.
The chase proved to be exceedingly challenging for India. Shubman Gill, the opener, was bowled over by the Kiwi bowlers in the fourth over only. Suryakumar Yadav, who scored 26* runs off of 31 balls and helped India win, was the team's top scorer.
Brief scores: New Zealand 99/8 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 19*; Arshdeep Singh 2/7, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/4) lost to India 101/4 in 19.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 26*; Michael Bracewell 1/13) by six wickets.