Abhishek Sharma scythed through a hapless New Zealand attack to unleash carnage that made even Vaibhav Sooryavanshi look like a bystander at times as India cruised to a series-clinching six-wicket win in the third T20 International on Tuesday. The world’s top-ranked T20I batter smashed a sensational 113 off just 38 balls, including a 15-ball half-century, as India made a mockery of what appeared to be a challenging 199-run target. The visitors reached the target in a staggering 13.2 overs. Abhishek brought up his century in just 35 balls and celebrated with his trademark meditation pose as the opposition players and spectators were left stunned by his power-hitting.
India captain Shreyas Iyer won his third consecutive toss and again opted to bowl first. Whether creating room on the off side or moving across to target the leg side, the pair found boundaries at will. India thus completed a hat-trick of T20I series wins on New Zealand soil, having previously won 5-0 and 1-0 in 2020 and 2022 respectively. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi was equally aggressive, smashing 45 off 18 balls, but his efforts were overshadowed by Abhishek as India set a world record for the fastest team 100 in five overs and registered the highest-ever powerplay score of 118. Adam Milne was slightly more economical, conceding 17 runs in the second over, but after Michael Bracewell and Kyle Jamieson leaked 21 and 20 runs respectively in the third and fourth overs, captain Mitchell Santner cut a resigned figure.
