India Beat New Zealand by 4 Wickets — Tilak Varma's 51 Not Out Outlasts Santner's 4 for 21 to Go 2-0 Up

There are chases that are won and chases that are survived, and this one was both, in that order. For eleven overs India were being slowly strangled by a left-arm spinner who barely seemed to be trying anything new: Mitchell Santner simply kept the ball on a length, kept changing his pace, and kept taking wickets. At 71 for 5, needing another 110, India's night looked like it would be about the youngest player in their squad, the dropped catches and the turnaround New Zealand had found after losing the opener.

Instead it belonged to Tilak Varma. His unbeaten 51 off 26 balls, first with Naman Dhir and then with Nitish Kumar Reddy, turned a rescue into a win with one ball to spare. India won by four wickets and lead the five-match series 2-0, both wins by the same margin at the same ground two days apart.

India's bowlers set the evening up early. Arshdeep Singh had Tim Seifert caught by Tilak at 11 for 1, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had Daryl Mitchell caught by Tilak too at 18 for 2, and Prince Yadav, in for Mayank Yadav in what Shreyas Iyer called "just a tactical change", bowled Finn Allen. New Zealand were 43 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. Prince finished with 1 for 30 from his four overs and Arshdeep with 2 for 33, and between them they kept the damage down at the end, when New Zealand were trying hardest.

The chase began well enough, with 37 for 0 after four overs, and then fell apart against Santner. Sanju Samson (14) went to Jacob Duffy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, batting at three in place of the injured Ishan Kishan, made 4 off 8 before Nathan Smith had him caught, and Santner removed Abhishek Sharma (27), Iyer (7) and Axar Patel (11) in quick succession. Naman Dhir hit three sixes in a 17-ball 31 and added 42 with Tilak before Santner had him too, caught by Phillips, at 112 for 6. That was Santner's fourth wicket.

From there Tilak and Reddy needed 69 off about five overs and got them. They took 31 from the 17th and 18th overs, 18 of those off a Nathan Smith over, and left 11 needed from the last. Duffy bowled it, with New Zealand forced to keep an extra fielder inside the circle after falling behind the over rate. Reddy found a boundary and then ran the winning runs off the fifth ball. Tilak's innings had six fours and a six, and he never seemed to be rushing it.

New Zealand's innings was rebuilt by Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs, who came together at 41 for 3 and added 116. Jacobs was dropped by Iyer on the way, reached his half-century off 41 balls and made 58 off 46. Phillips hit four sixes in 70 off 43. They were 104 for 3 after 14 overs and then took 53 off the next four, and Michael Bracewell's late six helped New Zealand to 180 for 5.

On a different night 180 plus Santner's 4 for 21 would have won. What cost New Zealand was the support around their captain. Duffy went for 41 in 3.5 overs, the 18 runs off Smith's over at the end decided it, and India were given chances (Abhishek survived a Duffy delivery called a no-ball, and Dhir was dropped at 92 for 5). A slow over rate also meant one fewer boundary rider for the last over. Lockie Ferguson, who our preview picked as the key bowler of the series, finished without a wicket. New Zealand have lost both games by four wickets, so they've been close each time, but they've now lost both.

Hagley Oval again rewarded anyone who set themselves. The new ball did some early work (three New Zealand wickets inside six overs), but once Phillips and Jacobs were in, 180 was par rather than imposing. The middle overs were where the game was decided: Santner's slower, flatter left-arm spin was difficult to hit, while India's seamers went for plenty at the end, with Bhuvneshwar conceding 18 in the 16th over on his way to 1 for 50. Batting second worked again, as it had in the opener.

Tilak walked in with the innings falling apart and gave nothing away while it did. He let Dhir take the risks against spin, then took over once the target came down to something he could see. Against the quicks he hit straight and used the pace through the off side. When Reddy arrived they ran hard, which put pressure on fielders who had already been forced up by the over-rate penalty. His fifty came off 25 balls. On a night when India's top five made 63 between them, Tilak, Dhir and Reddy made 108.

Our preview called New Zealand "favourites at home", and that was wrong for the second time in two games. We flagged Lockie Ferguson against India's top order as the key matchup; Ferguson went wicketless and the damage was done by Santner, whom we did not single out. We noted Prince Yadav as an option if India wanted more pace, and he came in and bowled Allen. We named Sooryavanshi as the player everyone was watching; he got in because of Kishan's injury and made 4. Right on India's batting depth, wrong on who would win and on which bowler would matter most.

India are 2-0 up with three to play and can win the series with one more win. The concern is the top order: two chases, and both times the lower-middle order has had to finish the job. Kishan's groin niggle is worth watching ahead of the next game. New Zealand have to win the next three, and the question is who bowls alongside Santner. If Ferguson and Duffy don't start taking wickets, the series could be decided in the next game.