Abhishek Sharma's 38-ball 113 seals India's T20I series win in Wellington
A record opening stand and an unbeaten century turned a 199-run target into a 13.2-over stroll, giving India an unassailable 3-0 lead over New Zealand.
Abhishek Sharma smashed an unbeaten 113 off 38 balls at Wellington's Hnry Stadium on Tuesday, steering India past New Zealand's 198/3 in just 13.2 overs. The six-wicket win in the third T20I gives India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with two games still to play.
Think of it as the cricketing version of a stock that gaps up at the open and never looks back. Abhishek's hundred was his fourth in T20 internationals and his 11th in all T20 cricket, the most by any Indian. That moves him past Virat Kohli's 10, and into third place worldwide behind Chris Gayle (22) and Babar Azam (13).
He had a willing partner in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, promoted to open, who hit 45 off 19 balls. Together they put on 118 without loss in the powerplay, the highest first-six-overs total in a men's T20I, beating Romania's 116 against Serbia in 2021. India reached 50 in 2.2 overs, equalling the world record, and brought up 100 in five overs, the second-fastest team century in T20 cricket.
New Zealand's depleted attack had little answer. Kyle Jamieson took two wickets, while Matthew Fisher and captain Mitchell Santner claimed one each. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir finished the job in the 14th over after a few late wickets.
The hosts' innings deserved more than a footnote. Daryl Mitchell made a career-best 89 not out off 52 balls, with Finn Allen adding 40 and Bevon Jacobs 39 off 23. But India's bowlers, led by disciplined death overs from Arshdeep Singh (1-33) and Axar Patel (1-36), held New Zealand to 63 runs in the last seven overs, which proved decisive.
The bigger takeaway for Indian fans is depth and ruthless intent: a young opening pair that can end a chase inside the powerplay gives the side options as the format evolves. With the series already won, the last two matches become a chance to test combinations.
Source: The Hans India
