Wellington: Abhishek Sharma produced a magnificent century off just 35 balls, along with brilliant support from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, as India unleashed a breathtaking batting assault to defeat New Zealand by a commanding six wickets in the third T20I. With this emphatic victory, India took an unassailable 3–0 lead in the five-match series on Tuesday, 27 October, at Henry Stadium in Wellington.
Forced to bat first, New Zealand posted 198/3, led by a superb unbeaten 89 from Daryl Mitchell. In reply, India’s opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unleashed a sensational batting exhibition, smashing 118 runs in the powerplay and setting a new world record for the highest powerplay total in men’s T20 internationals. Abhishek Sharma spearheaded the explosive batting assault, hammering a magnificent century off just 35 balls and powering India to chase down the target of 199 in just 13.2 overs, with 40 balls to spare, turning the match into a completely one-sided contest.
The third T20I began with India winning the toss and electing to bowl first. New Zealand lost Tim Seifert (2 off 6 balls) early to Arshdeep Singh before Finn Allen launched a counterattack alongside Daryl Mitchell, helping New Zealand reach 58/1 at the end of the powerplay. The duo steadied the innings and put together an impressive 86-run partnership off just 43 balls for the second wicket. Finn Allen looked well set to accelerate further and push for a big score before Nitish Kumar dismissed him in the ninth over. Playing his 100th T20I match, Glenn Phillips managed 17 off 14 balls before Axar Patel sent him back to the pavilion. However, Mitchell continued to lead the charge, bringing up his half-century in just 26 balls before finishing with a superb unbeaten 89 off 52 balls. He then stitched together another valuable unbeaten 75-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Bevon Jacobs, who played a crucial role by scoring 39 off 23 balls, as New Zealand finished with a competitive total of 198/3 after 20 overs. Earlier in the match, New Zealand looked well on course to cross the 200-run mark comfortably. However, India’s bowlers executed their yorkers brilliantly and applied crucial pressure in the death overs, restricting New Zealand to a total below 200.
While chasing the target of 199, India’s opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a remarkable batting spectacle. The pair launched a blistering assault, with Jacob Duffy conceding 26 runs in the very first over. The relentless onslaught continued as India raced to 50 runs in just 2.2 overs, setting a new record for the fastest team fifty in men’s T20I cricket. Abhishek Sharma spearheaded the charge, reaching his half-century in just 15 balls. The duo raced to 118 runs without losing a wicket in the first six overs, establishing a new world record for the highest powerplay total in men’s T20 internationals. India surpassed Romania’s previous record of 116 runs without losing a wicket against Serbia in Sofia in 2021. The pair stitched together a spectacular 133-run opening partnership off just 43 balls, scoring at an astonishing rate of 18.13 runs per over and surpassing the previous record of 16.08 runs per over set by England’s Jos Buttler and Phil Salt against South Africa at Old Trafford in 2025. Their explosive opening stand reached 133 runs in just seven overs before Matthew Fisher dismissed the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the eighth over. Sooryavanshi narrowly missed out on a half-century after smashing a blistering 45 off just 19 balls, including four sixes and four fours, at a phenomenal strike rate of 236.84. However, Abhishek Sharma continued his explosive power-hitting masterclass as Sanju Samson joined him at the crease. Abhishek brought up his magnificent century in just 35 balls, registering his fourth T20I hundred before eventually losing his wicket after a sensational knock of 113 off just 38 balls, featuring nine fours and an extraordinary 11 sixes at a stunning strike rate of 297.37. With this sensational knock, Abhishek Sharma surpassed Virat Kohli to become India’s leading century-maker in men’s T20 cricket, with 11 hundreds in the format, moving ahead of Kohli’s 10. The Indian opener also entered the elite list of the most prolific century-makers in men’s T20 cricket, climbing to third place behind Chris Gayle and Babar Azam. He also surpassed West Indies great Chris Gayle in the number of innings featuring 10 or more sixes in men’s T20 internationals. Abhishek has now recorded three T20I innings with at least 10 sixes, moving ahead of Gayle, who achieved the feat twice. Austria’s Karanbir Singh leads the list with five such innings. Following Abhishek’s dismissal, India were 178/2 and remained firmly in control of the chase. New Zealand’s bowling attack managed to claim two more wickets, dismissing Shreyas Iyer (5 off 10 balls) and Sanju Samson (18 off 13 balls). However, India comfortably chased down the target of 199 in just 13.2 overs, with 40 balls to spare, sealing an emphatic victory. The victory marked the second-fastest successful chase of a target of 190 runs or more, with 40 deliveries remaining. It was second only to Estonia’s chase of 193 against Cyprus in 2024, which they completed with 42 balls to spare. New Zealand’s bowling attack struggled to contain India’s dominant batting display. Kyle Jamieson managed to pick up two wickets, while Matthew Fisher and Mitchell Santner claimed one wicket each.
Following his electrifying batting performance, Abhishek Sharma deservedly won the Player of the Match award. Both teams will face each other in the fourth T20I on Friday, 30 October, at Eden Park in Auckland.
