T20I live score: India opt to bowl, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to bat at No. 3

Download AppNewsSportsCricketT20I live score: India opt to bowl, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to bat at No. 3NZ vs INDIndia (IND) vs New Zealand (NZ), 2nd T20I live score: India will look to build on their strong start to the series after having won the opener in a record chase. Ishan Kishan is set to miss out on the game today due to a niggle. Will it open the doors for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's return to the T20I side? We will know at the toss, which is at 12 pm IST....Read MoreNew Zealand (NZ) vs India (IND) 2nd T20I live score and updates (PTI Photo) Hello and welcome to our live coveraged of the second T20I between New Zealand and India from the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Oct 24, 2026 12:02 ISTNZ vs IND live: India win the toss and opt to bowl India have won the toss and they have opted to bowl in the 2nd T20I in Christchurch. Oct 24, 2026 12:01 ISTNZ vs IND Live: Will Varun Chakravarthy get a game?Well, India did not play their specialist spinner, their wicket-taking spinner in the series opener. They had only five bowling options and they paid the price for it, conceding 225 runs. Is it time to bring Varun Chakravarthy back to the XI? Well, when it comes to the wicket-taking ability, he is as good as Jasprit Bumrah and as lethal as the fast bowler in terms of reputation. And India can't get the job done with five bowlers, if one of them is Nitish Kumar Reddy. Oct 24, 2026 11:42 ISTNZ vs IND Live: Time for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in New Zealand?Sooryavanshi will be back in the Indian team colours for the second match of the series in Christchurch. The boy wonder didn't play any of the matches in the home series against Afghanistan and the West Indies and has been more of an overseas expert so far. It did seem like the New Zealand tour would have also seen him continue his education with the squad, but Ishan Kishan's injury has opened the door for him to return. And the numbers explain why there is so much hype around Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old has scored 246 runs in eight T20Is with an average of 30.75 with a strike-rate of 186.36. From Ravi Shastri to Sunil Gavaskar, former cricketers have called for Team India to give the youngster a go. Will he get a go today? Oct 24, 2026 11:35 ISTNZ vs IND live: Irfan Pathan calls out Gautam Gambhir criticsWell, when Tilak Varma batted at No. 3 in the series opener, quite a few were baffled. Ishan Kishan was demoted and the Tilak experiement did not work well as he scored six runs from 11 deliveries when the team was chasing 226. However, it later came to light that Ishan Kishan was carrying a niggle and that's why Tilak went in at No. 3. Following the vitriol on social media, targetting head coach Gautam Gambhir, former fast bowler Irfan Pathan came up with a few strong words. "So, Ishan Kishan had a niggle during the first T20, which is why he batted lower down the order," Pathan wrote. "But everyone was quick to go after Gautam Gambhir for changing the batting order. Criticising him has become everyone's favourite timepass these days." "Please, please wait a bit before passing judgment. Don't jump to conclusions without knowing the full story," Pathan wrote. "And this applies to everything in life. In the rush to get 'views' and 'numbers' on social media, you might end up hurting someone without even knowing the full story. Think before you judge." And now, Ishan Kishan is set to miss at least two matches this series. Oct 24, 2026 11:30 ISTJUST IN: Ishan Kishan ruled out of 3rd T20I also Our reporter, Nitin Kumar Srivastava reports that Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the third T20I as well. Oct 24, 2026 11:27 ISTNZ vs IND live: It's a Super Saturday for Indian sportsWe are just 40 minutes away from the toss in Christchurch, where India will look to extend their lead in the five-match T20I series. India lead 1-0 after scripting their highest-ever successful run chase in T20Is, chasing down 226 in the series opener on Thursday. Sanju Samson and Naman Dhir starred with the bat as India pulled off a memorable win at Hagley Oval. The same venue will host the second T20I later today. Earlier in the day, India A batters, including KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel, endured a tough outing against New Zealand A in the first of their three four-day matches ahead of the upcoming Test series. There is more action to look forward to, with PV Sindhu set to feature in the French Open semi-final later today. We will bring you all the updates as the sporting action unfolds. If you cannot catch the live stream, stay with this live blog for all the latest from Christchurch and beyond. You can also follow us on X at @ITGDSports for real-time updates. Join us for all the action!