India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer fell for seven off 11 balls during the second T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24. His slow innings came while India chased 181, with Mitchell Santner dismissing him in the 11th over.
Shreyas Iyer has scored 639 runs in 23 matches as India’s T20I captain at an average of 33.63. His record includes an unbeaten 102 against the West Indies, an unbeaten 80 against England and a 68 during the England tour. He has also led India to a 10-match winning streak and the 2026 Asian Games gold medal.
Mitchell Santner Claims Crucial Breakthrough
Mitchell Santner dismissed Shreyas Iyer in the 11th over of the chase at Hagley Oval. The left-arm spinner drifted the ball towards the right-hander on a good length. Iyer attempted to play across the line but misjudged the flight and missed, allowing the ball to hit his leg stump. India were left struggling at 69/4.
Earlier, India lost their first wicket at 40 when Sanju Samson departed in the sixth over. He scored 14 off 17 deliveries before Jacob Duffy dismissed him. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who returned to the side at number three, fell for four off eight balls.
Abhishek Sharma became the third batter to depart at 56/3 in the ninth over. He had earlier received a reprieve when Duffy caught him off a no-ball, but Santner eventually dismissed him. Nathan Smith took the catch in the deep as Abhishek departed for 27 off 21 balls.
Shreyas Iyer’s T20I Scores as India Captain
Shreyas Iyer endured a difficult start against Ireland and England before producing several notable performances. He scored 3 and 10 in Belfast, followed by 68 in Chester-le-Street, 37 in Manchester, five in Nottingham, an unbeaten 80 in Bristol and 28 in Southampton.
Iyer recorded scores of 28 not out, 25 and 27 against Zimbabwe, followed by 8 not out, 11 and 29 against Afghanistan. During the Japan tour and Asian Games, he scored 16 against Japan, 13 against Sri Lanka and 21 against Pakistan. He then smashed an unbeaten 102 against the West Indies in Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer added 40 in Ranchi, one in Indore, 16 in Hyderabad and 22 in Bengaluru against the West Indies. He began the New Zealand series with 42 before scoring seven in the second T20I.
New Zealand Post 180 Following Early Collapse
India’s fast bowlers made early inroads after Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl. Arshdeep Singh dismissed Tim Seifert for seven, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Daryl Mitchell for six to claim his first international wicket in four years.
Prince Yadav then bowled Finn Allen for 16, reducing New Zealand to 41/3 inside the powerplay. Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs rebuilt the innings with a 116-run fourth-wicket partnership. Phillips scored 70 off 43 deliveries, including four boundaries and four sixes, while Jacobs made 50.
Their stand helped New Zealand recover from the early collapse and accelerate in the final seven overs. The Indian bowlers returned to dismiss both set batters before Michael Bracewell struck consecutive boundaries towards the end.
New Zealand finished at 180/5 in 20 overs. Arshdeep took 2/33, while Bhuvneshwar, Prince and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each. Bhuvneshwar conceded 50 runs in his four overs.
