New Zealand vs India 2020: Delighted Virat Kohli Praises Bowlers As India Take 2-0 Lead

India, on Sunday, thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets in the second T20I to take 2-0 lead in the five-match series. India had won the first match by six wickets. In-form KL Rahul once again starred with the bat by scoring an unbeaten fifty while Shreyas Iyer made the most of his form too.

Chasing a modest 133, India were off to a poor start as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli departed cheaply. Tim Southee accounted for both the batsmen to leave India reeling at 39 for 2. However, before New Zealand could make further inroads in the game, Rahul and Iyer steadied the ship and shared a decisive partnership of 86 runs.

Ish Sodhi broke the stand when he dismissed Iyer for 44 when India needed only eight runs. Rahul and Shivam Dube then took India over the line with the latter hitting a six to finish the game. Rahul remained unbeaten on 57.

Innings Break!#TeamIndia bowlers restrict New Zealand to a total of 132/5 after 20 overs.

Scorecard – https://t.co/q1SS955DVL #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/MvGg34rPJ3

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 26, 2020

Earlier, the Virat Kohli-led side restricted New Zealand to a modest 132 for 5. Batting first, the hosts were off to a good start with Martin Guptill and Colin Munro adding 48 runs for the first wicket. However, once Guptill departed, New Zealand’s innings came off the track and they eventually ended up on 132 for 5.

Speaking after the game, India captain Virat Kohli hailed the bowlers for restricting New Zealand to a modest total. He also made it clear that despite the comfortable 2-0 lead, India cannot rest and will have to bring the A game to wrap up the series.

“I think we backed it up with another good performance. The bowlers stood up and took control. It was a very good feature for us as team. That helped us to restrict New Zealand to such a low total. We understood the angles of the field better. The surface gripped a bit. When you have a complete performance like that, it helps. This same side has won us two games. We need to bring our A game again and we are up for the challenge,” said Virat Kohli.

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