The match produced several twists, with Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs rescuing New Zealand after an early collapse before Mitchell Santner threatened to derail India’s chase. However, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy held their nerve in the closing overs to guide India to a memorable victory, prompting fans to react on social media.

Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs revive New Zealand after early collapse

India’s bowlers made an impressive start after the visitors elected to field first. New Zealand slipped to 41/3 inside the powerplay, with Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Find Allen departing cheaply. Phillips and Jacobs then stitched together a crucial 116-run partnership to rebuild the innings. Phillips smashed 70 off 43 deliveries, including four fours and four sixes, while Jacobs scored 58 off 46 balls.

Michael Bracewell added an unbeaten 10 off just two deliveries as New Zealand finished at 180/5. India’s chase began poorly as the hosts struck at regular intervals. Abhishek Sharma scored 27 off 21 balls, while Naman Dhir’s quickfire 31 off 17 deliveries briefly revived India’s hopes. However, Santner’s outstanding spell of 4/21 left the visitors struggling at 112/6.

Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy seal a thrilling win

With the match slipping away, Tilak and Reddy produced a sensational late partnership to turn the contest around. Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, while Reddy contributed an unbeaten 26 off 13 deliveries. India needed 29 runs from the final 12 balls before Tilak smashed 18 runs off Nathan Smith in the 19th over.

The visitors entered the final over needing 11 runs and completed the chase against Jacob Duffy with one ball remaining. India finished at 181/6 in 19.5 overs, securing their second consecutive win in the series. The dramatic finish, Santner’s brilliant spell and India’s late counter-attack gave fans plenty to discuss online.