IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: Rahul, Rohit fifties power India to series win

IND vs NZ 2nd T20 Live Score: Get the commentary, highlights and updates of New Zealand vs India 2nd T20I from JSCA International Stadium, Jharkhand.

KL Rahul plays a shot.

Welcome to Sportstar 's HIGHLIGHTS of the second T20I between India and New Zealand from Ranchi.

Delight for Rohit Sharma and his team as they take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Rohit and Rahul struck fifties and Rishabh finished with a flourish as India registered a 7-wicket win over New Zealand. Their bowlers did a great job of bouncing back after having conceded 64 in the PowerPlay. Ashwin, Axar and Harshal were brilliant through the middle overs, helping restrict NZ to a modest total. It was a walk in the park in the end. That will be all from our side. Thanks for joining us tonight. Cheers

Neesham into the attack. Pant has hit the first ball out of the park. Six! He seals the series for India with a trademark one-handed six! India win by seven wickets.

IND 143/3 in 17 overs: Pant joins Iyer. Iyer gets a single first ball. NZ have reviewed a caught behind against Pant. Ball brushed the thigh pad en route to the keeper. Pant survives. Venkatesh gets a boundary off an outside edge.

IND 137/3 in 16 overs: Here's Southee. Rohit departs. Tame end to a terrific innings. Falls for a 36-ball 55. Suryakumar Yadav joins Iyer. Surya chops on off the last ball.

IND 134/1 in 15 overs: Milne into his third over. Venkatesh gets off the mark with a boundary off an inside edge. Rohit brings up his 50 with a six. India need 20 in 30 balls.

IND 122/1 in 14 overs: Southee is back into the attack. Rahul departs at last. He falls for 65. India need 37 runs in 40 balls. Venkatesh Iyer joins Rohit, who will be on strike as the batters crossed. 4 leg byes next ball. Six runs and a wicket.

IND 116/0 in 13 overs: Santner bowls out. Rohit has been severe on Santner, launches this over deep mid wicket for six. Three singles follow.

IND 105/0 in 12 overs: Boult is back. Was turning out to be a good over before Rohit dug out a yorker and got four. India on the charge. Rhul's turn now - imperious from the right-hander as he helps one to fine leg for four. 13 from the over.

IND 92/0 in 11 overs: Milne returns. Rahul reaches his fifty with a scorching hit for six. 40-ball 50! Follows it up with a boundary behind square. Three singles to end the over. India need 62 runs in 54 balls.

IND 79/0 in 10 overs: Here's Santner. Rohit launches it over deep mid wicket for six. A single next ball. Another single for Rahul gets Rohit back on strike. The skipper has decided Santner needs to be take on - he clears his front leg and clobbers it over long-on for six. DROPPED! Rohit gets a reprieve thanks to Boult. A single to end the over. India need 75 runs in 60 balls.

IND 63/0 in 9 overs: Sodhi continues. How long before Rohit and Rahul accelerate? India in a good position but a wicket here could make things interesting. The required rate has climbed past eight. A change of ball. Four singles and a brace from that over.

IND 57/0 in 8 overs: Santner is back. Brilliant from Santner. Just five off that over. Once again, Santner trying to put the shackles on the Indian batting.

IND 52/0 in 7 overs: Sodhi into the attack. Rahul collects a couple off the first ball. Rahul hits one to long-on for a single. Rohit and Rahul take a single each to bring up the 50 partnership. Couple of singles to end the over.

IND 45/0 in 6 overs: Boult to wrap up the PowerPlay. Rahul backs away and clobbers it over deep extra for six. He takes a single next ball and gets off strike. Just three off the remaining deliveries.

IND 35/0 in 5 overs: Southee returns. One run off the first three balls. Loud caught behind appeal from Southee off the fifth ball but umpire's not interested. Single to end the over. Rahul retains strike.

IND 32/0 in 4 overs: Here's Milne. More grace from Rahul, who uses his bottom hand for a wristy flick over mid wicket for four. Gets a single next ball. SHOT! Rohit's turn to join the party as he swivels a pull over deep mid wicket for six. Next ball, Rohit gets a single. And another single to end the over. India need 122 runs

IND 18/0 in 3 overs: Mitch Santner into the attack. Rohit gets a single to short fine. Rahul drives to long-off for a single. Brilliant from Mitch. Just two from it.

IND 16/0 in 2 overs: Trent Boult to share the new ball. Rahul welcomes him with a glorious drive - what timing! Classy from Rahul. Rahul defends the next ball off the back foot. Two back-to-back dots. Whoa, what a shot - majestic from Rahul, as he drives with full face of the bat.

IND 8/0 in 1 over: Rahul on strike. Southee with the new ball. Two slips in place. Swing, edge and four. Plenty of dew in the outfield. Offers width next ball and Rahul collects two. Wide ball next and Southee concedes an extra. Loud appeal for a strangle down leg but umpire obviously not interested. Finishes off with a dot and a single.

Welcome back to the chase. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are at the crease.

A great comeback for India, conceding just 28 runs in the last five overs and keeping the Kiwis to 153 for six in 20 overs. R Ashwin was at his clinical best with figures of 1-19 in four overs. Debutant Harshal Patel brought his IPL form into the match, claiming 2 for 25 in four overs. India will be happy with the bowling effort and will back itself to chase 154.

NZ 153/6 in 20 overs: Chahar bowls the last. Short outside off and Milne pulls it high and it lands safely at long on for a couple. The pull lands safely...again... this time at square leg and two more. Slow and full outside off and Milne misses trying to scoop it behind; one leg bye. Hard length and slow; Santner heaves and misses. Good length and much straighter and Santner swings and misses again. Slower bouncer and Santner finally connects and digs it out for a couple. Umpires review for a run out but Santner is safely back in.

NZ 146/6 in 19 overs: Milne the new man in and debutant Harshal bowls out. Angles across to Santner and flicked to deep square for a couple. Slower one deceives Santner and he pops it back to the bowler. Pace off once more and Santner gets a single. Milne gets off the mark with one. A couple for Santner as he swats a short one to long off for two. A dot to end the over.

NZ 140/6 in 18 overs : Bhuvi bowls out. Slow, full, outside off and Neesham swings and misses. Outside off again and Neesham wanted to drag it on the leg but got a bottom edge; only one. Santner misses the flicks and steals a single. Bhuvi keeps it away from Neesham and he misses again. Outside off again and Neesham connects this time only to see a chunk of his bat launch into the air while the ball dripples on the pitch. OUT! Neesham departs first ball after the bat change. James Neesham c Pant b Bhuvneshwar 3(12b 0x4 0x6).

NZ 138/5 in 17 overs: SIX! Full-toss from Harshal and Phillips bludgeons it over mid wicket for a maximum. Full-toss over the waist and a couple for Phillips. It's called a no-ball straightaway. Free Hit! Dot ball! Wide outside off and pace off beats Phillips who looks to swing it on the on side. OUT! Decked into the pitch and Phillips pulls straight to deep square leg. Good on the debutant to hold his nerves after a couple of poor deliveries. Glenn Phillips c sub (Gaikwad) b Harshal Patel 34(21b 1x4 3x6). Slow and angles it into left-hander Neesham to beat him. Pitches this one outside off on a good length and it drifts down leg, taking Neesham's pad on the way. Slower bouncer pulled for a single to end the over.

NZ 128/4 in 16 overs: Ashwin bowls out. OUT! Seifert reverse sweeps it straight to the man at short third. Tim Seifert c Bhuvneshwar b Ashwin 13(15b 1x4 0x6). Neesham comes in at number six. Back of length outside off and Neesham pushes to mid off where captain Rohit pulls off a spectacular dive to keep it to a dot. Clipped to square leg for a single and Neesham gets off the mark. Round-arm from Ashwin and wide down leg. Gets his line back and Neesham is happy to defend and see off Ashwin's spell.

NZ 125/3 in 15 overs : Bhuvi comes back to bowl his third. Starts off with a wide-ish length outside off and batters collect two singles. Too wide this time and it's called wide. SIX! Length ball angling into Phillips and he pounces on it to smoke it over long on. Good comeback! Yorker just outside off stump and Seifert is late on the jab and misses. A single to end the over.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is on the field and a loud cheer from the crowd as the camera zooms on him.

NZ 114/3 in 14 overs: Chahar comes back into the attack. SIX! Quick and decked in and Phillips pulls it over deep square leg. Full on the stump and Phillips parries it to mid on for a single. Good length angles into leg from a middle stump line and Seifert tucks it for two. Two more more Seifert as he pushes a full ball to a vacant mid on. Slower one, back of length; beats Seifert who looks to pull.

NZ 102/3 in 13 overs: Axar bowls out. Keeps it on the stumps the first five balls with the ball sliding in with arm. FOUR! Some width outside off Phillips cuts it to the third man boundary.

NZ 94/3 in 12 overs: Debutant Harshal returns for his second over. Back of length outside off and it beats Mitchell. OUT! Good length and pace off; Mitchell clubs it straight to long on. Daryl Mitchell c Suryakumar b Harshal 31(28b 3x4 0x6). That's the first international wicket for him! Seifert the new man in. Back of length and slower one again and Seifert almost loops it to Rohit at cover. FOUR! Slower bouncer and Seifert uppercuts it behind for a boundary. Full and fast and Seifert clips it to mid on for a dot. Pushed to point for another dot.

NZ 90/2 in 11 overs: Axar bowls his third over. Starts off with a wide. Good length angling in to Mitchell and pushed off the back-foot for a single at long on. Dropped! Full and Phillips takes it on the full and launches it to long off; Venkatesh drops it after bouncing it thrice; two runs. Two more singles to end the over.

The dew is heavy here in Ranchi and it doesn't look like bowling first will hold any advantage.

NZ 84/2 in 10 overs: Ashwin continues. Good length spinning into Mitchell who clips it for a single. Phillips take his stance outside off stump with his leg stump visible and Ashwin just misses the woodwork. He gets off the mark next ball with a single to long on. Another single at long on for Mitchell. Straying down leg and it's called a wide. Two good length balls angling into leg stump and Phillips defends.

NZ 80/2 in 9 overs: Axar from the other end. Back of length and Chapman digs it for one at extra cover. FOUR! After two back to back reverse sweeps Chapman goes for one more. It is much fuller this time and some sloppy work from Ashwin at short third allows the four. OUT! Pitched up again and Chapman skies it to long off and KL Rahul takes the catch. It was too close to the body to slog and he almost sliced it. Mark Chapman c KL Rahul b Axar Patel 21(17b 3x4 0x6). Mitchell clips it to square leg for a single to end the over.

NZ 73/1 in 8 overs: Ashwin continues. He persists with the hard length and bowls it quick - the slowest ball was at 94 kmph - to cope with the dew. Just four singles from the over as the length is not short enough to pull.

NZ 69/1 in 7 overs : Harshal bowls his first ball in international cricket. Slower ball full outside off and Mitchell pushes it for a single. Chapman opens the face of the bat for a single at backward point. Chapman drives and Shreyas dives to stop it at cover and almost runs Mitchell out on the non-striker's end. Chapman whips it fine for a couple.

NZ 64/1 in 6 overs: Ashwin to bowl the final PP over. Angles into him first ball and cramps him for room as Chapman defends. Gets a single at mid wicket on the next ball. Good length just outside off and Mitchell pushes to mid off for one more. Ashwin stops short of bowling as the ball looks to be slipping away. Two singles follow and FOUR!   Chapman shuffles and clips it fine to the boundary.

NZ 56/1 in 5 overs: Chahar to bowl from the other end. SIX! Guptill picks up from where he left off in the first T20I. Smashes it straight over Chahar off a good length for a six. OUT! Short and straight and Guptill top edges it going for the pull and Pant takes it comfortably. Martin Guptill c Pant b Deepak Chahar 31(15b 3x4 2x6). Chapman in at one-drop. Full on the legs and Mitchell works it to deep mid wicket for a couple. Short again but this is wide outside off and Mitchell pulls it comfortably for a single. FOUR! Chapman starts off with style. Back of length but not high enough and Chapman pulls it past mid wicket to the boundary. A single at point to end the over.

NZ 42/0 in 4 overs: Bhuvi back with a change of ends. SIX! Good length and straight and Guptill smashes it straight over the rope and into the sidescreen. What a response! Short and knocks menacingly into Guptill's helmet as he misses the pull. The physio is out to assess Guptill and he seems fine. FOUR! Short again and Mitchell was waiting for it and pulled it fiercely to square leg. Mitchell tucks it away to the onside for a couple to end the over.

NZ 29/0 in 3 overs: Axar replaces Bhuvi with spin. Two singles to start the over. Axar keeps it back of length and slides it into the right-handers. Guptill drives to extra cover and KL Rahul misfields to allow a couple. A single and a dot to finish.

NZ 24/0 in 2 overs: Chahar to share the new ball. Mitchell gets off the mark with a single to mid on. Guptill returns strike with one more to mid off. FOUR! Mitchell smashes this past mid on. FOUR! Cracking shot! Middle stump line and Mitchell drives arrow straight all the way to the boundary. Chahar checks his length and ends with two dot balls.

NZ 14/0 in 1 over: Bhuvi to Guptill first ball. Let's play! FOUR! Movement for Bhuvi first ball and it takes Guptill's edge to run to the boundary at third. FOUR! Full from Bhuvi and Guptill looks to heave over mid-off but it flies over point to the rope. In-swinger at good length and beats Guptill. Guptill swings again and it goes high over mid off; Rahul does well to get to it but cannot hold on to it- 2 runs. FOUR! Guptill goes for the big shot again and finds the boundary at extra cover.

STAT ALERT: Guptill needs 11 runs to surpass Kohli as the highest run-getter in T20Is.

The umpires walk out and the Indian team is in a huddle walk out amid a thunderous reception from the Ranchi crowd. Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell make their way to the middle.

Live action begins at 7:00 PM IST from Ranchi. Stay tuned!

India Playing XI : Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel

New Zealand Playing XI : Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (c), Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, Trent Boult

BCCI UPDATE ON SIRAJ: Siraj got a web split on his left hand while fielding on his own bowling in the 1st T20I in Jaipur. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his progress.

Harshal Patel makes his debut as Siraj misses out with a hand injury. Three changes for New Zealand with Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi and James Neesham coming in for Lockie Ferguson, Todd Astle and Rachin Ravindra.

TOSS : Rohit Sharma wins the toss and elects to bowl.

Last 10 T20s in Ranchi:

Batting first won: 4

Batting second won: 6

Average first innings score: 155

UPDATE: Purple Cap winner of IPL 2021 Harshal Patel is set to make his international debut.

MATCH PREVIEW

R. Ashwin’s Twitter post on Thursday morning read like a redemption song. “It was good to be back playing T20s for India in India with a good crowd cheering on,” he tweeted.

Indeed, Ashwin’s return to the T20I fold has been a long time coming. Under Virat Kohli, the off-spinner was often overlooked, with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy getting the nod in the playing eleven. Most recently, Ashwin was surprisingly overlooked for the crucial Pakistan and New Zealand outings in the ICC T20 World Cup, and was given a chance only against the minnows.

READ: 'Too early to comment on Dravid’s coaching style'

With a skillful two for 23 spell against New Zealand in the first T20I at Jaipur on Thursday, Ashwin proved that he can thrive in the shortest format. The Tamil Nadu cricketer broke a dangerous 109-run partnership between Martin Guptill and Mark Chapman, defeating Chapman with a classical flighted delivery. In the same over, he had Glenn Phillips all at sea with his variations, before taking him out with a ball which straightened.

The second outing at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Friday will serve as another chance for Ashwin to stake his claim as the nation’s best T20I spinner.

Ashwin is pleased to play under new head coach Rahul Dravid, telling the host broadcaster, “He (Dravid) won't leave much to chance, and he'll be all about preparation and process, so that we can bring the happiness back into the Indian dressing room.”

Suryakumar Yadav is another player who did his reputation no harm. After a disappointing run in the World Cup, Suryakumar returned to the party with a match-winning 40-ball 62. Suryakumar may be comfortable in the number three spot, but the Mumbaikar insisted that he is willing to bat in any position to help the team. “I have batted from the opening spot all the way to five-drop. I’m happy to bat in any position. I’ve been playing at number three for the last three years for my franchise (Mumbai Indians). I like to express myself in matches the way I do in nets. I’ve been playing the same shots for the last two-three years. I enjoy playing in this format,” the ever-confident Suryakumar said after his Man-of-the-match performance on Wednesday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar also has a point to prove. The pacer went wicketless in India’s opening World Cup game, against Pakistan, and was replaced by Shardul Thakur.

At Jaipur, Bhuvneshwar served a timely reminder of what he brings to the table. He moved the new cherry around corners, and foxed the batters with slower deliveries in the death.

There is hope yet for comeback stories under this Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid combine.

The squads India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), K.L. Rahul (Vice-Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj New Zealand: Tim Southee (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi. Where to watch: The India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I match will be aired live on Star Sports channels - Star Sports 1 , Star Sports 1 HD , Star Sports 1 Hindi , Star Sports 1 Hindi HD , Star Sports 1 Tamil , Star Sports 1 Telugu , and Star Sports 1 Kannada . (The match starts at 7 p.m.)