The second T20I of the series between India and New Zealand was hosted at the Bharat Ratna Shree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The match turned out to be a low-scoring thriller that saw the Men in Blue emerge victorious by six wickets in the final over.
New Zealand’s skipper, Mitchell Santner, won the toss and elected to bat first. However, this decision did not work in favor of his team as they only managed to score 99 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Chasing 100 runs to level the series, India got off to a slow start but they were able to fight till the end and take the match down to the last over. A boundary from Suryakumar Yadav on the penultimate ball of the match helped India secure their victory by six wickets.
In this article, we will take a closer look at three records that were broken in the second T20I of the India vs. New Zealand series.
The first record that was broken was the lowest number of sixes hit in a T20I match hosted by India. India hosted its first T20I match back in 2007 and in all these years, this was the first time that both teams failed to hit a single six in a T20I match in India. Despite the presence of some of the best big-hitters of the game such as Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, and Michael Bracewell, not one of them could clear the boundary due to the tricky nature of the surface.
The second record that was broken was the most balls in a T20I match with no sixes. The India vs. New Zealand match lasted 239 balls – 120 in the first innings and 119 in the second – without a single six being hit. This broke the previous world record for the most balls without a six in a T20I match which was held by a Bangladesh vs. New Zealand T20I played at Mirpur in 2021 with 238 balls.
The third record that was broken was the lowest total for New Zealand in T20Is against India. New Zealand’s team total of 99/8 in their 20 overs was the lowest team total by the Kiwis in men’s T20Is against the Indian team. This ended their streak of scoring at least 100 runs in every 20-over contest against the Men in Blue since their first T20I against India in 2007.
In conclusion, the second T20I of the India vs. New Zealand series was a thrilling match that saw several records being broken. The absence of sixes, the most balls in a T20I match without a six, and the lowest team total by New Zealand in T20Is against India were just some of the records that were broken in this match.
