Abhishek Sharma and Virat Kohli
Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking batting display, smashing a 35-ball century to power India to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I on Tuesday. The left-handed opener blazed his way to 113 off just 38 deliveries as India chased down the target with 40 balls to spare, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Abhishek’s sensational knock featured nine fours and 11 sixes, helping him surpass Virat Kohli to become India’s leading century-maker in men’s T20 cricket. The 24-year-old now has 11 hundreds in the format, moving ahead of Kohli, who has 10.
Earlier, India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to put New Zealand under pressure. The hosts lost Tim Seifert early, but Finn Allen and Daryl Mitchell responded with an aggressive counter-attack to give their side a strong platform. The Indian opener also joined the elite list of the most prolific century-makers in men’s T20 cricket, moving into third place behind Chris Gayle and Babar Azam.
He reached his century in just 35 balls, dismantling the attack with an extraordinary combination of power and timing. His 113-run knock came off 38 deliveries and included 11 sixes, underlining his dominance at the crease. With his 11th T20 hundred, Abhishek moved past Kohli’s tally of 10 centuries for India. Globally, only Chris Gayle, with 22 hundreds, and Babar Azam, with 13, have scored more centuries in men’s T20 cricket. 22 — Chris Gayle 13 — Babar Azam 11 — Abhishek Sharma 10 — Quinton de Kock 10 — Virat Kohli 10 — David Warner India made a change at the top of the order, sending young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to open alongside Abhishek. India raced to 118 runs in the Powerplay, setting a new record for the highest Powerplay total by a Full Member nation in men’s T20 internationals. The opening partnership eventually yielded 133 runs, putting India firmly in control of the chase. The hosts conceded 118 runs in the first six overs and 178 in the first 10, leaving their bowlers with little room to recover. Allen fell in the 40s, but Mitchell continued to anchor the innings and finished unbeaten on 89.
The move paid spectacular dividends as the duo launched an all-out assault on the New Zealand bowling attack. Abhishek continued his remarkable run in the shortest format with a blistering innings that left the New Zealand bowlers searching for answers. The Indian opener was eventually dismissed by Kyle Jamieson, with Glenn Phillips completing the catch at deep mid-wicket, but the damage had already been done. he provided explosive support to Abhishek, who continued to attack relentlessly While Sooryavanshi missed out on a half-century. The youngster was eventually dismissed by Matthew Fisher, who claimed his maiden T20I wicket. New Zealand’s decision to hold back captain Mitchell Santner from bowling against the two left-handed openers proved costly. By the time the spinner came into the attack, India had already seized complete control of the contest. Jamieson and Santner picked up wickets towards the end, but the contest was effectively decided during the opening assault. Bevon Jacobs also contributed a useful knock, helping New Zealand build a competitive total. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Their disciplined death bowling ensured New Zealand could not push their total beyond the 200-run mark, leaving India with a target of 199 runs. The victory handed India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, with two matches still to be played. After dominating the contest with the bat, the visitors completed the chase with 40 deliveries remaining.
India’s bowling performance was mixed, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again struggling to make a significant impact. However, the visitors recovered well at the death, with Prince Yadav producing an impressive comeback and Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy executing their yorkers effectively. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.