India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I at Auckland, as it happened: Rohit fires India to a 7-wicket win, series levelled

15:01 hrs IST

Rohit speaks

“Very pleased to see how we bowled and then we were clinical with the bat as well,” Rohit says. “We didn’t execute the plans in the first game, we executed them here and got the reward for it. It’s important to understand the mistakes we made. We wanted the guys to go out there with a clear mind. We have got quality in our side and we are looking forward to the next game. Hopefully, we can do what we did today”

14:56 hrs IST

Krunal Pandya, man of the match

“It felt really nice to contribute and it’s always special when the team wins,” he says. “You have to adapt according the ground, and I think I did that well.”

14:49 hrs IST

Game...set...match

Full ball is pumped down the ground by Rishabh Pant and India have marched to a comprehensive win by 7 wickets. The bowlers set up the match and the Rohit Sharma blazed away at the top of the order to set the perfect platform. Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni took India over the line. A clinical approach by the Indian team

14:43 hrs IST

Pant, Dhoni rocking along

Easy pickings out there at the moment. Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni have mixed singles with boundaries as India are absolutely strolling towards the target.

14:25 hrs IST

6 and out

Full ball has been tonked over long off and then Shankar tries to pull a ball towards deep mid-wicket, but the boundary ropes are longer that side and hence, Southee manages to catch that one. In walks MS Dhoni

14:22 hrs IST

Shankar, Pant carry on the momentum

Shankar was good in the previous match and he has carried his form to Auckland. Pant is looking good too and New Zealand need wickets to have any hopes in this match

14:09 hrs IST

Rocket from Lockie gets Dhawan

Wow, that was searing pace from Ferguson. Bangs the ball in and it climbs up steeply on Dhawan who is beaten for pace. Ball takes the gloves, helmet and then lobs to point. Sharp ball and New Zealand are slowly clawing their way back

14:00 hrs IST

Rohit dismissed

Well, that was a long hop and Rohit has dragged it over to deep mid-wicket just perfectly. Not a great way to depart but the captain has done his job and put India on course for a win. The perfect platform has been set for the rest of the batting order

13:52 hrs IST

Rohit launches one, and now holds the record

The Indian captain is now the leading run-scorer in T20Is. He moves past Martin Guptill and Shoaib Malik. This has been a top knock by the right-hander, he has put India on course

13:49 hrs IST

50-run partnership up

6th fifty runs stand between R Sharma and S Dhawan in T20Is for opening wicket.

9th fifty plus stand by the pair, joint most by an opening pair in T20Is

13:40 hrs IST

Dhawan gets going

After a slow start, Dhawan has hit the ground running in this over. The openers have ensured India get off to a solid start and they have set the perfect base for such a target. New Zealand need wickets and they need one soon

13:33 hrs IST

Rohit looking good

This initial phase is crucial for both the team. Rohit is looking good as of now, but New Zealand will keep attacking him and Dhawan.

13:22 hrs IST

Rohit starts positively

The right-hander crunches a square cut and earns a boundary and then calmly drives the ball to long off to change ends. Dhawan retains strike with a run in the final ball

13:15 hrs IST

Brilliant from India at the death

India started well in the powerplay and then ended brilliantly in the death overs. de Grandhomme was special in the middle phase, but after his dismissal India wrested back the control and on the surface, they will be happy with the score on the board

13:06 hrs IST

Santner departs

Full ball, aimed at the stumps, Santner looks to drag the ball away, inside edge and the ball is dragged on to the stumps. India have been brilliant at the death so far

13:04 hrs IST

Taylor run out

Full ball has been dragged away to long on, Taylor rushes back for a second but Vijay Shankar intercepts the ball, picks it up and throws down the stumps from the deep. Taylor dismissed

13:01 hrs IST

Brilliant Bhuvi

Brilliant bowling by Bhuvneshwar, he is nailing those yorkers perfectly and there is nothing much the Kiwi batsmen can do as of now.

12:46 hrs IST

Hardik strikes

That ball was in the slot, de Grandhomme wanted to smack it over covers, but there was no timing at all and Rohit takes the catch at cover. Vital wicket for India at just the right stage

12:41 hrs IST

15 overs done

The platform is set, de Grandhomme and Taylor have been brilliant after the early jolts and now the stage is set for the final flourish. Can they take their side past 200 now?

12:30 hrs IST

50 partnership up

After a mediocre powerplay, Taylor and de Grandhomme have stamped their authority on the game. de Grandhomme has taken charge of the innings and Taylor is giving him good company. The short boundaries are pretty short and this can get tricky for India towards the back end of the innings

12:21 hrs IST

De Grandhomme on the attack

He knows only way and he is blazing away. Chahal has been muscled for 16 in the first three balls, he can still be dangerous even in this situation

12:12 hrs IST

Captain Kane departs

That was the slider angled in, Williamson is defeated as he looks to pull it away, is hit on the thigs and looks dead. Umpire says yes and the captain turns back and marches away. India have been on song today, Krunal on fire

12:03 hrs IST

Krunal gets Mitchell

Wow, there is an error, there is a clear spike on hotspot, but the third umpire has asked him to depart. Controversy, but unfortunately, he walks back. Big big error made and this is where the third umpire needs to intervene

11:58 hrs IST

Munro departs

Krunal angles one ball away, Munro smacks it clean, but finds the man perfectly at cover. Good move Rohit, India have the timely break again and have sent back both the openers in the powerplay. Good start for the visitors

11:52 hrs IST

Good over for New Zealand

Munro smacks a six, and the Williamson caresses a boundary. New Zealand have their best over, this could well be a high-scoring game. The start is very positive for the Kiwis

11:45 hrs IST

Seifert goes

A was on the charge, started biffing Bhuvi but then he has nicked it back to Dhoni. India get the breakthrough and the dangerous Seifert has to walk back

11:40 hrs IST

Good start for Khaleel as well

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed too makes a bright start in the match as he concedes just 2 runs for his first of the day. He constantly troubled Seifert outside of the off-stump and gave away just two singles off it.

11:35 hrs IST

Excellent first over from Bhuvi

Early signs are that the ball is moving around a bit and Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes full use of it in the first over of the day. He conceded just three runs from it which included one wide down the leg side. Khaleel Ahmed will now bowl the second over of the day.

11:30 hrs IST

Rohit issues rallying cry

India skipper Rohit Sharma has called his team in a huddle and is giving the players a pep talk before the start of the match. Kiwi openers Tim Seifert and Colin Munro are making their way into the middle while Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the new ball in his hand.

11:23 hrs IST

National anthem time

The players are out in the middle and we are about to get underway with the respective national anthems of the two teams. This will be a big test of the mentality of the Indian team as they look to stay alive in the series. While as for the hosts, they will look for a series against the Men in Blue.

11:11 hrs IST

Playing XIs

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni(w), Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

11:10 hrs IST

Rohit speaks

Rohit Sharma: “We were looking to bowl first anyway. I know we lost the last game, but chasing has been our strength. We have spoken about what we need to do with bat and ball. Hopefully we can get a win today. We just need to do the right things and do them consistently. We discussed what went wrong in the last game. Hopefully we won’t repeat them. We are playing the same team. I know there will be a lot of talk about Krunal and Kuldeep. Kuldeep has been top class for us.”

11:04 hrs IST

Kane wins the toss

Kane Williamson has won the toss and New Zealand will bat first. India have all the running to do as they look to stage a comeback in the series.