Abhishek Sharma’s Explosive 113 Powers India To Series-Sealing T20I Victory

Abhishek Sharma delivered a stunning performance as India defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20I at Wellington’s Hnry Stadium on Tuesday. His blistering 113 off 38 deliveries helped India chase a target of 199 in just 13.2 overs.

The victory gave India an unassailable 3-0 advantage in the five-match series.

Abhishek registered his fourth T20I century and 11th overall in T20 cricket, surpassing Virat Kohli’s tally of 10 hundreds in the format. He now trails only Chris Gayle and Babar Azam on the list of players with the most T20 centuries.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also impressed after opening the innings, scoring 45 from 19 balls. Together, the pair powered India to 118 without loss in six overs, setting a new record for the highest team total in a men’s T20I powerplay.

India also reached 50 in 2.2 overs and crossed 100 in five overs, underlining their aggressive approach.

Kyle Jamieson dismissed Sooryavanshi and later removed Abhishek, finishing with two wickets. Matthew Fisher claimed Sanju Samson’s wicket, while Mitchell Santner dismissed Indian captain Shreyas Iyer.

However, the damage had already been done. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir completed the chase alongside the remaining batters.

Earlier, Daryl Mitchell struck an unbeaten 89 off 52 balls to help New Zealand post 198/3. Finn Allen contributed 40, while Bevon Jacobs added 39 from 23 deliveries.

India’s bowlers restricted the hosts to 63 runs in the final seven overs, preventing them from crossing 200.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 198/3 (Daryl Mitchell 89*, Finn Allen 40; Arshdeep Singh 1/33, Axar Patel 1/36) lost to India (Abhishek Sharma 113, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 45; Kyle Jamieson 2/45, Mitchell Santner 1/17) by six wickets.

Also Read: Daryl Mitchell’s Career-Best 89 Lifts New Zealand To 198/3 Against India In Third T20I