India beat Black Caps in Twenty20 game two in Ranchi

Black caps lost their second T20 ,atch and slid to a series defeat.

India clinched the series albeit with a more impactful batting performance from the middle-order in the second T20 International in Ranchi.

For coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma, there couldn’t be a better start than a series win against an old nemesis, which help them hit the right chord at the beginning of their partnership.

A superlative display by their top-order and controlled bowling at the back-end ensured a five-wicket victory against Black Caps, ending ‘Men in Blue’ seven-match losing streak across formats.

Sent in to bat, the Black Caps were well short of a competitive total when posting 153-6 and with the night-time dew making it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball it was always going to be tough to defend.

India openers KL Rahul (65 off 49) and Sharma (55 off 36) plundered 117 to set up victory and despite skipper Tim Southee’s two wickets in four balls in the 16th over, the hosts got home with 16 balls to spare.

The teams meet again in Kolkata for the final game of the series.