India finally found a way to halt New Zealand’s explosive start in the second T20I at Raipur, thanks to a sharp piece of fielding from Hardik Pandya. The Indian all-rounder produced a brilliant juggling catch at mid-off to dismiss Devon Conway and hand the hosts their first breakthrough on Friday, January 23.

The moment arrived on the second ball of the fourth over. Harshit Rana smartly rolled his fingers over the ball, sending down a slower delivery at 115.2 km/h. Conway, who had already begun imposing himself on the bowlers, mistimed his shot and sliced it aerially towards mid-off. Hardik moved swiftly to his right and, after initially fumbling, kept his composure to complete the catch on the third attempt. The effort not only showcased his athleticism but also shifted the momentum back in India’s favour.

Conway’s aggressive knock came to an end at 19 off just nine balls, an innings laced with three fours and a towering six. His dismissal left New Zealand at 43/1 in 3.2 overs, bringing relief to the Indian camp after a testing start.

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Put in to bat, the Black Caps began in blistering fashion. Conway took Arshdeep Singh apart in the opening over, collecting 18 runs. Although Hardik bowled a relatively quiet second over, Arshdeep was again targeted in his next, as Tim Seifert smashed four consecutive boundaries to keep the pressure on India.

Harshit Rana 🤝 Varun Chakaravarthy 🔥

🎥 Both strike in their first over as #TeamIndia get the wickets of both #NZ openers 👏

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/8G8p1tq1RC#INDvNZ | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/eOFfUuFkar

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 23, 2026

Harshit Rana’s breakthrough proved timely. Varun Chakravarthy followed it up by removing Seifert for a quick 24 off 13 balls in the fifth over, reducing New Zealand to 64/2 after six overs. At that stage, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips were tasked with rebuilding after the early fireworks were checked.

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Playing XIs:

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and Ish Sodhi.

India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakaravarthy.