India secured a commanding six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday, clinching the five-match series with two games still remaining. Abhishek Sharma led the charge, clobbering a blistering 35-ball century and finishing with 113 runs off 38 balls to help India chase down a target of 199 in just 13.2 overs.
The duo of Abhishek and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set a new record by accumulating 118 runs during the powerplay, surpassing the previous record of 116 held by Romania since 2021. Their opening partnership reached 133 before Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 45, caught at long-on while attempting to slog Matthew Fisher. As Abhishek combined with 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to score a record 118 runs in the powerplay, beating the previous mark (116) set by Romania a, it was a record-breaking night for the visitors anyway.
Abhishek, named man-of-the-match, attributed the aggressive start to the team’s tactical focus. “That was the plan for us. Just get the momentum for the team and keep going,” he stated. His innings nearly challenged his own record of a 30-ball century set against Afghanistan last month, which remains the fastest by a batter from a full-member nation.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner nearly dismissed Abhishek earlier in his innings when he dropped a chance at extra cover with the batter on 92, struggling with the flight of the ball in the heavy Wellington wind. Abhishek later brought up his milestone by smashing a delivery from Kyle Jamieson to the fine leg boundary, celebrating with a meditation gesture before eventually falling to a catch by Glenn Phillips off the same bowler. With Glenn Phillips holding the catch near deep midwicket after Abhishek sent another shot flying high, jamieson ultimately took his wicket.
Earlier, after losing the toss and batting for the third time in the series, New Zealand posted a respectable 198, fueled by an unbeaten 89 from Daryl Mitchell. Despite the competitive total, the New Zealand bowlers struggled to contain India’s batting onslaught. Reflecting on the defeat, Santner acknowledged the difficulty, noting, “Pretty tough to stop those guys when they’re going. We’ve seen it before, seen it in the IPL and obviously witnessed it here tonight in New Zealand.”/>The pressure on the New Zealand bowlers remains a concern ahead of the fourth encounter in Auckland this Friday. Having lost the toss and been sent in to bat for a third successive match, New Zealand made a respectable 198, with number three Daryl Mitchell scoring an unbeaten 89.
