Following his side's hard-fought six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20I, star India batter Suryakumar Yadav admitted that a different version of him was on display while batting as he had to adapt to the situation on a "very challenging wicket". Suryakumar Yadav and captain Hardik Pandya held their nerves to lead India to a hard-fought 6-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I here at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.

When I went to bat, adapting to the situation was critical. After losing Washy, it was critical that someone finish the game. (On his blunder with Washington Sundar) It was my fault; it was clearly not a run; I didn't see where the ball was going. It was a difficult wicket. We didn't expect the second inning to go this way, but it's important to adapt.

We only needed one hit in that over, and it was critical for us to relax. "He (Hardik) came and told me 'you are going to finish on this ball,' and that gave me a lot of confidence," Suryakumar said in a post-match presentation. Choosing to bat first, New Zealand could only manage 99/8 in 20 overs. Indian spinners dominated the Kiwi batters from the start, making scoring runs extremely difficult for the visitors. Nobody scored more than 20 runs for the Kiwis, led by skipper Mitchell Santner (19).

Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell both scored 14 runs. Arshdeep Singh (2/7) was India's first-choice bowler. Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Hooda, and Kuldeep Yadav each took a wicket. Pandya also claimed a wicket. The pattern of bowler dominance continued during India's chase of 100, and the Men in Blue were down 70/4 in 14.3 overs. Ishan Kishan (19) and Shubman Gill (11) continued their poor form with the bat.

Suryakumar Yadav (26* off 31 balls) and Hardik Pandya (15* off 20 balls) then put on a match-winning 31-run stand to get India over the line. Suryakumar was named 'Man of the Match' for his composed and calm knock. India currently leads the series 1-1. The final will be held on Wednesday in Ahmedabad. New Zealand 99/8 (Mitchell Santner 19, Michael Bracewell 14, Arshdeep Singh 2-7) defeated India 101-4 (Suryakumar Yadav 26*, Ishan Kishan 19; Michael Bracewell 1-13).