Santner, Phillips heroics in vain as Black Caps fall to India in T20 heist

The Black Caps have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Christchurch, after India pulled off a heist to claim the second Twenty20 International at Hagley Oval by four wickets.

Defending 181, New Zealand looked to be in control of the series’ second match, after an inspired spell of bowling from captain Mitchell Santner (4-21) reduced India to 112-6 in the 15th over.

But with India boasting the greatest resources the short-form game has arguably ever seen, Tilak Varma hammered 51 not out off just 26 balls to lead his side home, as part of an unbeaten 69-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with Nitish Kumar Reddy (26 not out).

After being pipped in a thriller to open the series at the same venue two days earlier, the Black Caps now trail 2-0 with three to play, and face a serious fight to keep the contest alive on Tuesday.

While comfortably short of the 225-4 New Zealand made in game one, the Black Caps’ innings appeared enough after a 116-run partnership between Glenn Phillips (70 off 43) and Bevon Jacobs (58 off 46) rescued the score from 41-3 to 180-5 after 20 overs.

Showing no signs of the worrying injury he sustained fielding in the opener, Santner returned figures of 4-21 from his four-over spell to rip the heart out of India’s batting order, the same one that chased down 226 two nights earlier.

The Black Caps celebrate the wicket of India's Abishek Sharma in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport

However, after pace attack leader Matt Henry was left unable to bowl, and New Zealand were hit by a fielding penalty in the last over, Varma needed no second invitation to throw the kitchen sink at the Kiwi attack to get India over the line with a ball to spare, hitting six boundaries and one six in his innings.

The two sides will now travel to Wellington for game three, while the Black Caps lick their wounds after two last-over defeats in a row.

Coming together in the sixth over, Phillips and Jacobs were given the unenviable task of rebuilding the Black Caps’ innings after the top order all fell inside the power play.

After the duo took 24 balls together to raise a half-century stand in the series opener, the situation saw them take 43 to do the same in game two, before accelerating.

As was the case on Thursday, Phillips was the aggressor, and hit three sixes and three boundaries on his way to a 33-ball half-century, to go with his unbeaten 82 from game one. The right-hander showed off both his power game and his running between the wickets, at times putting fielders under pressure by turning singles into comfortable twos.

He found the perfect foil in Jacobs, who initially battled for timing and was dropped by India captain Shreyas Iyer on 20, but did most of his scoring running between the wickets en route to a 40 ball half-century, for just five boundaries without clearing the fence.

Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs added a century stand for the Black Caps against India in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport

And while it took the pair 43 balls to post their first 50 runs, their second took just 26, as Phillips and Jacobs upped the ante towards the back end of the innings.

With a big finish in sight, neither could be not out at the end – as Phillips fell caught at deep cover looking to clear the fence, while Jacobs went not long after as the Black Caps worked their way to 180-5 from their 20 overs.

In reply, India opener Sanju Samson (14) couldn’t capitalise on fortune going his way on five, when he was carried over the rope by Santner, before he hit a Jacob Duffy (1-41) slower ball to Phillips at point.

And once 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came and went for four, courtesy of chipping Nathan Smith (1-34) straight to Daryl Mitchell at cover, India also lost Abishek Sharma for 27 when he could only find the fielder on the fence trying to hit Santner over midwicket to leave India 66-3 at the halfway stage.

Santner wasn’t done, and struck twice in three balls when he had opposite captain Shreyas Iyer (7) bowled, before a relay catch shared by Finn Allen and Mitchell on the boundary removed pinch-hitter Axar Patel (11). And when Santner snared Dhir for 31 with his penultimate ball of the night, the Black Caps’ job appeared all but done at 112-6.

India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates victory over the Black Caps in Christchurch. Photo / Photosport

Needing 46 runs from the final three overs, Varma and Reddy threw caution to the wind, and found the rope at will to burst New Zealand’s balloon.

Duffy conceded 17 to shorten the equation to 29 from the last two, before Smith gave away 18 to make it 11 from the final six balls.

And once the fielding penalty was applied, seeing New Zealand forced to bowl the final over with one extra man inside the inner circle, Varma got the job done with one delivery to spare.

New Zealand 180-5 (Phillips 70, Jacobs 58; Singh 2-33)

India 181-6 (Varma 51 not out, Santner 4-21)

India win by four wickets

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.