Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy turn 112 for 6 into a win, in Christchurch

Tilak made 51 off 26 balls and Nitish 26 off 13 as India chased 181 with a ball to spare for a 4-wkt win and went 2-0 up in the five-match series against the Kiwis

Two scraggy-haired, bearded men, Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy, who speak the same language, Telugu, and often use it to chide each other over running between the wickets, had lovely smiles plastered on their faces after they pulled off a special T20 win. This format often throws up yawn-fests, but every now and then comes a beauty like this second T20I between India and New Zealand, on a not-so-easy Christchurch pitch to bludgeon big hits.

India chased down 181 and lead the five-match series 2-0. Tilak finished on 51 off 26 balls, Nitish on 26 off 13. "My coaches told me before the game that entire India believes in me and if I stay till the end, we shall win, and I stayed till the end and I am proud I did it," said Tilak after the win. He also mentioned the cameo from Naman Dhir, who kickstarted the chase with a breezy 31 off 17. Without the two Telugu youngsters, it would have gone in vain.

New Zealand had been rescued in much the same way. Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs added 116 for the fourth wicket after the side had slipped to 41 for 3. "You weasel," went the amusing self-admonishing cry from Phillips when he failed to time a full-pitched delivery as well as he would have liked. The 'weasel' course-corrected a couple of balls later in the same 16th over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, when he crash-landed it into the stands beyond extra cover and had a hearty chuckle with Jacobs.

Without Phillips, who struck the ball best from either team on a pitch where the ball often held up a touch, and Jacobs, New Zealand wouldn't have set a target of 181.

Their bowlers, led by captain Mitchell Santner, swooped in with clinical precision to restrict India. But it was Dhir who started the chase. New Zealand were left to rue a sitter that Jacobs had dropped at the start of Dhir's knock at backward point, off a loopy delivery from Santner. Dhir responded by slamming both Santner and his spin partner Bracewell for sixes and fours, before falling to the ball of the game from the New Zealand captain. A loopy, ripped-out ball dipped rapidly outside off to suck him into a drive straight to extra cover. But then Tilak and Nitish decided to own the night.

When Dhir fell, India were 112 for 6 in 14.5 overs, and still 69 runs short. Tilak, as ever, had eased himself in with nudges and pushes. And it was Nitish who took on the Dhir role to bring in a few boundaries. Then Tilak took over, and how.

There were many shots to zoom into, but perhaps it's the one he hit off the last ball of the penultimate over, to bring the final-over equation to 11, that's worth going to first. It captures his skill and his brain. Until then, he had tried to mow down to the on side, either with a slugged pull or with that wristy pick-up slash. For this ball, New Zealand dropped the long-on back, and brought the long-leg into the backward square-leg to add to the man at short fine-leg. It was clear that the ball would be full and be angled across him, and well outside off at that. There was a sweeper cover and a third man for the crashed drive or the square slice. And of course there was always the chance of a bluff with a ball on the stumps or the bouncer, but that was highly unlikely, as previous attempts at such deliveries were put away by Tilak.

So he shuffled across his stumps as the ball blurred full and well outside off. By moving decisively, he took out both those boundary riders, and went down on his knee to reach out for the ball. He scooped it up and over wide long-off for six, and the Indian dug-out jumped to its feet. Game over, for all practical purposes.

Tilak's batting is all about positioning of his body. He moves to off, but holds his balance to be able to target either side, depending on the length of the ball. Since he can pull pretty decently, he isn't tied down until it's really a scorchingly-pacy bouncer. Since he can get down on his back knee rather quickly, he can reach out for the full deliveries angling well away from him, to either slice or cover drive. As is the demand of the format, he tries to estimate what the bowler is going to bowl and moves accordingly, but since he doesn't fully commit to the shot too early, he is able to retain the balance needed to adjust to the lengths.

Allowing him breathing space were two others: Naman Dhir, rapidly becoming a fan favourite, and Nitish Reddy, who has amped his bowling pace in recent times and has always had the gift of timing. Where Tilak can be all about positioning at the crease, Nitish has the natural timing and free-flowing batting skill to go for his shots. Three young men changed the fate of the night, and it was Nitish who ran the double that finished it, with a ball to spare for a four-wicket win.