Team India pulled off a terrific 7-wicket win against New Zealand in the 2nd T20I at the Eden Park on Friday. They not only levelled the series 1-1 to keep the battle alive but also exhibited some of the magnificent performances on the field to completely outclass the Kiwis.
Firstly, it was Krunal Pandya whose three-wicket haul throttled the New Zealand batting and then came stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma’s sizzling half-century which set the stage on fire. Last but not the least, it was young gun Rishabh Pant whose 40-run cameo cruised the Indian ship to its destination.
After a series of failures, he had found some form and played the finisher’s role. With MS Dhoni (the finishing maestro) at the other end, Pant hit a four towards the straight boundary to end the game in style. But before that, his one-handed six to Tim Southee garnered huge applause.
India needed 21 runs to win the game when Pant performed this act. That was a length ball from ace Kiwi quick, Tim Southee but the young Indian chap showed no mercy – he hoicked that with the bottom-hand off high into the cow corner for a colossal six.
Here’s the video:
That was simply a mighty shot played by this young boy who is on his way of becoming one of the finest strikers of the cricket ball.
Coming back to the series, both the sides are set to lock horns for one last time in New Zealand as the decider is scheduled to be played on Sunday at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.