Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 14-ball fifty and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s fluent half-century powered India to an emphatic eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I, sealing the five-match series 3-0 in Assam. After disciplined bowling restricted the visitors to 153-9, India wrapped up the chase in just 10 overs with an unbroken 102-run
Abhishek Sharma celebrates his half-century with skipper Suryakumar Yadav; Jasprit Bumrah during his 3-17 against New Zealand in Guwahati on Sunday; Ravi Bishnoi celebrates the wicket of NZ’s Mark Chapman. Pics/BCCI
Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking 14-ball fifty, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav continued his sublime touch with another attacking half-century as India waltzed through the chase in just 10 overs to seal an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I, sealing the five-match series 3-0 here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 154, India turned the contest into a one-sided exhibition of power-hitting with Abhishek remaining unbeaten on a blistering 68 off 20 balls (7x4, 5x6) and Suryakumar smashing an equally fluent 57 not out off 26 deliveries (6x4, 3x6).
The duo stitched together an unbroken 102-run stand for the third wicket in just 40 balls to finish the game with 60 deliveries to spare.
Earlier, wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-18) marked his return with a superb spell alongside the seasoned duo of Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) and Hardik Pandya (2-23) as India strangled New Zealand with disciplined bowling to restrict them to an under-par 153-9.
Abhishek’s assault was particularly stunning as the left-hander raced to a 14-ball fifty — the second-fastest by an Indian in T20Is, just two balls slower than his mentor Yuvraj Singh — as he dismantled the New Zealand attack with fearless intent. Abhishek was excited with his quickfire knock: “That’s what my team wants from me. It’s not easy to do it every time. Yuvraj’s 12-ball fifty is impossible to beat. It’s about the mental side and the support you get from teammates,” he said.
94-2
No. of runs scored by India in the first six overs, their second-highest T20I score ever in Powerplay
60
India’s victory margin (balls remaining), the biggest by any team against NZ in T20Is
Seven
Consecutive bilateral T20I series wins for India under Suryakumar Yadav
14
No. of balls taken by Abhishek to score his fifty, 2nd fastest by an Indian after Yuvraj Singh (12)
Seven
No. of ducks for Sanju Samson in T20Is, joint second-most with Virat Kohli and only behind Rohit Sharma (12)
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