5 min readNew DelhiJan 25, 2026 11:09 AM IST
First published on: Jan 23, 2026 at 11:03 PM IST
The collectivism of India’s bowlers stood out more than individual verve. None of the seven men Suryakumar Yadav summoned could brag about numbers, none took more than two wickets; none conceded less than Hardik Pandya’s 8.33. Yet, they walked back to the dressing room with a content smile, knowing they restricted the visitors to a total below par on a benign surface with ample dew. Later, the batsman proved the inadequacy of the target, surpassing 209 in merely 15.2 overs.
It was not a flawless exhibition, but one where they ensured the flaws did not stick out to such an extent that New Zealand did not run away with the game. India did not fluster when New Zealand breezed to 43 in the first three overs, without embracing risks, just by punishing the erroneous lengths. Arshdeep Singh was the repeat offender, his first two overs costing 36 runs, including seven fours and a six. He slipped on the shorter wide, a bluff that failed gloriously. Rather it made him look foolish. Fielders were stacked on the off-side; the space behind square was left vacant, conveying an impression that he was going to bowl full outside the off-stump. But Tim Seiferet second-guessed his intentions and crunched him four successive fours.
Bedlam lurked. The cameras panned to Jasprit Bumrah in the dugout, fiddling with the substitute’s bib. Suryakumar summoned Harshit Rana. He removed Devon Conway second ball, with a devious change of pace, slashing the speed by around 20kph. A wicket-maiden pulled things back. Rana has been trolled and mocked, but while flaws remain, he exuded considerable promise. A two-run-wicket over followed, when Seiferet, uncertain of Varun Chakaravarthy’s variations, skied a leg-break to the fielder’s palms.
The blast-bust pattern continued. Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips creamed 55 runs off 27 balls, but then Kuldeep avenged for the 14 runs Phillips had ransacked off him. The wrong’un was deliciously slowed down and was a touch fuller. Phillips was beaten by the flight first and he was so committed to the shot that he could not devise an alternative route to safety.
209
New Zealand restricted to below-par total on flat Rajkot surface
2
Max Wickets by Any Bowler
8.33
Best Economy (Hardik)
15.2
Overs to Chase Target
Key Bowling Contributions
Varun Chakaravarthy
70 runs, wickets, 15 dots (combined with Kuldeep)
Kuldeep Yadav
Dismissed Phillips & Ravindra with variations
Harshit Rana
Wicket-maiden after expensive start
Hardik Pandya
Best economy rate at 8.33 runs per over
Indian Express InfoGenIE
The numbers the spinners leaked need contextualising. The outfield is one of the longest in the country, hence hitting spinners out of the ground is more difficult. But the deck is among the flattest in the country, with a target of 360 chased in the last ODI on this ground. Both Varun and Kuldeep Yadav let 70 runs off their eight overs and nabbed three momentum arresting wickets. It was a proper strangle job on this ground (15 dot balls combined and only eight hits to the fence). In contrast, New Zealand’s seasoned spin pair of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi were looted for 61 runs in five runs.
Varun is a classic example of a bowler using his vast repertoire methodically. He is not a kid in the candy shop, but a cold-eyed sniper who knows he has to use a semi-automatic or a sidearm, or whether to use suppression or not. He bowled flatter than he did, yet would take the pace off the ball occasionally. Rachin apart, most seemed to play him on instinct and hope rather than real conviction.
Kuldeep’s one-day woes shouldn’t be entangled with his T20I resourcefulness. Little moments stood out, like his outfoxing of Rachin Ravindra. His first two balls to him were on middle and leg-stump line, and relatively flatter in trajectory. But the wicket ball was full, tossed up with a delectable away-curve, and had him reaching out to his doom. Rachin was livid with himself, as much for the easy-baiting as his intemperance. It was the phase India pulled themselves back into the game after New Zealand’s tempestuous start. He was masterful at modulating his pace, not paceman like dramatic drop, but subtle decelerating that bemused the batsman and made them commit to the strokes a trifle too early. Phillips would concur. He had just powered him for a couple of fours and a six, but Kuldeep took the pace off his wrong one, which Phillips tried to mow down the leg. He spooned it towards the backward point. The two wickets broke the back of the Kiwis’s pursuit of an impregnable total.
The Kiwis fought on. Mitchell Santner performed the heavy lifting duties at the death, spoiling the hitherto impeccable figures of Hardilk Pandya, whose first two were splendid with a 13-run third over, and foiling the comeback of Arshdeep, in the company of Foulkes. But, as India’s batsmen proved, the total was grossly insufficient on the dewy and flat surface. The bowlers stung collectively, with their talisman looking on from the dugout. These are the pillars of tournament-winning sides.
Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy react during the 2nd T20I vs New Zealand. (CREIMAS for BCCI) 
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