GUWAHATI: A brutal display of batting performance by opener Abhishek Sharma, captain Suryakumar Yadav and left-handed batter Ishan Kishan helped Team India to chase down the 154-run target in just 10 overs against New Zealand in the third T201 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
With this victory, the Men in Blue took an unbeaten 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T201 series.
Chasing 154, India were off to a horrible start after they lost opener Sanju Samson for a golden duck. The right-handed batter was dismissed on the very first delivery by speedster Matt Henry.
However, the wicket celebration was cut off instantly as left-handed batter Ishan Kishan, who came next, hammered two sixes and a boundary to end Henry’s over.
In the next over, the duo of Kishan and Abhishek Sharma combined to smash 16 runs against Jacob Duffy as India reached 32/1.
In the third over, Kyle Jamieson conceded 17 runs as India were off to a blistering start, making 49/1.
India also reached their quickest team fifty in just 3.1 overs, surpassing their previous record of 3.4 overs vs Bangladesh in Hangzhou in 2023.
During the second ball of the fourth over, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi dismissed dangerous Kishan for 28 off 13 balls, with three fours and two sixes.
Abhishek Sharma completed his half-century in just 14 deliveries, which is also the second-fastest for India after former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who smashed a 12-ball fifty against England during the ICC T20 World Cup 2007. Abhishek’s 14-ball fifty was also the joint-third fastest among full member nations in T20I cricket.
After the end of the sixth over, India slammed 94/2. This was also the highest powerplay total against New Zealand, surpassing Australia’s 91/0 in Auckland in 2018.