Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, two of India’s best batsmen, lit up the second T20I against New Zealand. On Friday, January 23, the Men in Blue won comfortably by seven wickets, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Batting first, New Zealand had set a target of 208/6. India were in trouble after losing Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in the first two overs. But despite the pressure, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav found a match-winning partnership. The partnership saw 122 runs scored in 48 balls for the third wicket.
The tone was set by Ishan Kishan who made 76 off 32 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of over 237 in that game. Suryakumar ended up unbeaten on 82 from 37 balls, laced with nine fours and four sixes, his strike rate was an eye-watering 221.62. There was also an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls from Shivam Dube as India completed their run chase in only 15.2 overs.
On that point, here are the five records/milestones set by Team India during the second T20I.
5. 2nd highest catches for India in T20Is
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya had an excellent day on the field in the second T20I. He held three catches in the match, dismissing Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell. (Watch that effort here) With that catch, Hardik also completed a 60 catches as well in T20Is.
He has the second most catches for India in T20Is now, overtaking MS Dhoni (57). Hardik is just behind Rohit Sharma with 65 catches — the most by any fielder on the list. Suryakumar Yadav (56) and Virat Kohli (54) are the two other players in the top five.
4. T20IsIndia’s highest successful run-chases when the team have batted out their 20 overs?
209/3 by India against New Zealand at Raipur in the second T20I was their equal highest successful run-chase in T20Is. They had previously chased a target of 209 against Australia in Vizag in 2023.
Their next best chase was 208 against West Indies in Hyderabad, also in 2019. The third-best was 207 for Sri Lanka at Mohali in 2009. The fourth was against New Zealand in Auckland in 2020, and the fifth-highest of 201 came versus Australia in Rajkot in 2013.
3. Fastest 200 plus run chase in T20Is (Full Member Nations)
India also made history by achieving the highest successful 200+ run chase in T20Is for all full members. They chased the target down in a mere 15.2 overs, beating the previous record by Pakistan, who had chased 205 in 16 overs against New Zealand in 2025.
To put their chase in context, Australia’s 2025 win over the West Indies was a net run-rate record at the time with 215 chased down in just 16.1 overs and South Africa had crushed another West Indies side by chasing down a target of 206 (with no balls left in the innings) back in 2007.
2. Most instances of scoring 50 in 25 or fewer balls in T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav found his rhythm in a demolishing half-century which he notched up in just 23 balls. It was the eighth instance that he had scored a T20I fifty in 25 balls or less.
He now joins teammate Abhishek Sharma who has had eight cracks at it. Suryakumar overtook Phil Salt, and Evin Lewis, who have struck 7 times each.
1. Fastest 50 for India against New Zealand in T20Is
Ishan Kishan produced a sensational half-century, bringing it up in just 21 balls. In doing so, he registered the fastest fifty by an Indian batter against New Zealand in T20Is.
Abhishek Sharma had briefly held the record after scoring a 22-ball fifty in the first T20I, but Kishan has now gone past him, as well as KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav, all of whom had reached the milestone in 23 balls.
