After the humiliating defeat in the first T20I in Wellington, the Indian team hit back with a clinical performance in Auckland to clinch the 3rd T20I by 7 wickets and draw level in the series.
The bowlers, led by Krunal Pandya, were brilliant as they restricted New Zealand to a score of 158 which was below par on a brilliant surface.
India's reply was led by Rohit Sharma, who was at his imperious best as he blazed away at the top of the order. With a 6 to reach 39, the Indian captain overtook Shoaib Malik and Martin Guptill to become the leading run-scorer in T20Is.
Becomes the only Indian batsman to smash 100 6s in T20Is
He also became the only Indian batsman to smack more than 100 sixes in T20Is and joined the list which has Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill.
"Very pleased to see how we bowled, and we were quite clinical with the bat as well. We have quality in our side, but we executed our plans better today, after learning from our mistakes. It's important to understand the mistakes that we made - it's been a long tour for everyone. So we didn't want to put a lot of pressure on the boys, just go in there with a clear mind," Rohit said after the match.
The 3rd match is going to be a cracker at Hamilton and the skipper does not want to take anything for granted.
"It's going to be a cracker of a game in the 3rd T20I, but nothing to take away from New Zealand, they're still a quality side," he added.
Krunal Pandya stole the show with the ball, as he picked up 4 wickets and was rightly adjudged the man of the match. There were doubts over his position but the all-rounder vindicated the decision of the team management to go in with the same playing XI.
"It felt really nice to contribute for the team. It's always special when you contribute to a win. The dimensions are quite different from Wellington, the straight boundaries were short and I had to adjust my length to it. Looking forward to the decider in two days time," he said at the post-match presser.
