Gautam Gambhir's three-word social media post after India's four-wicket win vs New Zealand goes viral

India pulled off a thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24. Chasing a target of 181 runs, the visitors reached 184/6 in 19.5 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Tilak Varma starred with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls. He shared a match-winning partnership of 69 runs off 30 balls with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who contributed 26 runs off 13 deliveries.

After India’s second consecutive win over New Zealand, head coach Gautam Gambhir took to X and shared pictures of Tilak, Nitish and Naman Dhir. He captioned the post, “Boys becoming Men.”

Tilak Varma Leads India’s Fightback

India were in trouble when Tilak came out to bat at No. 6. The visitors had lost four wickets for just 69 runs in 10.3 overs, and the score moved to 70/4 two balls later.

However, the left-handed batter kept his composure and took responsibility at a crucial stage of the chase. He first joined forces with Naman Dhir to put together 42 runs off 24 balls for the sixth wicket.

Dhir played an important role in India’s recovery, scoring 31 runs off 17 balls. After his dismissal, Nitish joined Tilak and helped take the game away from New Zealand with some aggressive batting.

Tilak struck six fours and one six during his unbeaten knock, earning the Player of the Match award for his performance.

Tilak And Arshdeep Create Records

Tilak’s contribution was not limited to his match-winning innings. He also set a new record for the most catches taken in a calendar year in men’s T20 internationals.

Earlier in the match, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh achieved a milestone of his own. He became India’s leading wicket-taker in men’s T20Is in a calendar year, taking his tally to 38 wickets in 2026.

India’s victory was built on the efforts of their young players, with Tilak, Dhir and Nitish stepping up under pressure to help the team secure another win in the series.