Indian captain Shreyas Iyer praised Tilak Varma for his classic knock against New Zealand in the second T20I of the seriesScroll down to read the full story.
Published: October 24, 2026, 7:04 PM IST
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Shreyas Iyer praised Tilak Varma for his impressive batting performance vs NZ in 2nd T20I (Image – BCCI)
The Indian team defeated New Zealand in the second match of the T20I series, which was played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on SaturdayShreyas Iyer’s side defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets in this game.
After the Indian team victory, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer applauded Tilak Varma for his incredible batting performance as his last moment heroics guided India to their second victory.
Speaking about Tilak Varma’s impressive batting performanceHe scored 51 runs off 26 ballsIn his knock, he smashed 6 fours and 1 six at a strike rate of 196.15.
“I feel that every individual in our game is a match winner, and today we saw the example of thatLike, honestly speaking, when we lost wickets, consecutive wickets especially, we thought that the game was going away from usBut Tilak and Reddy, they showed immense character, and also a great cameo by Naman Dhir,” Shreyas told broadcasters after the four-wicket win.
Shreyas Iyer also praised Naman Dhir for his ongoing form and performancesIn the first match of the T20I seriesNaman Dhir delivered his excellence for India by scoring 42 runs off 15 balls.
“We saw him in a couple of games back home against West IndiesHe’s a phenomenal bowler as well, and once you get both the parts covered in terms of batting and bowling, I think he brings in a lot of character, and also when you see him move around in the field, he basically, he’s a comprehensive player,” he added.
He also praised the New Zealand spinners Santner and Michael Bracewell, for their bowling that nearly denied India“I think we played a lot of dot balls initially, and that basically piled up the run rate as well, and also when we went in, we wanted to actually cruise, but they bowled amazing, especially Bracewell and Santner, the way they controlled the game in the middle.”
“It wasn’t easy to strike the ball, but I think if we would have picked up the gaps and tried to find boundaries, we could have easily cruisedBut unfortunateYou know, it happensJust another day, and I’m sure that we’ll bounce back pretty strong,” he added.
