Abhishek Sharma’s 113 ends T20 series early

Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dismantled the New Zealand bowling attack on Tuesday, guiding India to a six-wicket win in Wellington. The aggressive start secured a series victory for India with two matches remaining in the five-match Twenty20 International schedule.

India chased down New Zealand’s target of 198 in just 13.2 overs. Abhishek scored 113 runs off 39 balls, while Sooryavanshi contributed 45 off 19. The opening pair shared a 133-run partnership that lasted only 7.1 overs, a rate that overwhelmed the host team’s seamers.

Jacob Duffy bowled the first over, which yielded 26 runs. The openers maintained high intensity throughout the innings. Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes before being dismissed by Kyle Jamieson. At that point, India had already reached 178 for two in ten overs.

Sooryavanshi was promoted to the opening slot after batting third in the previous match. He struck four fours and four sixes in his brief turn at the crease. Abhishek attributed the rapid scoring to the extra bounce on the pitch, noting that the duo used the conditions to take momentum early.

Shreyas Iyer, the India captain, described the performance as exceptional, stating he had not previously seen a batter reach 100 runs in five overs at the international level. India won the toss for the third consecutive match and chose to bowl first, relying on seam movement from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh to restrict New Zealand’s total.

New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell adapted to the pitch conditions, moving around the crease to counter the seam. He scored 89 from 52 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes. He partnered with Finn Allen, who made 40 from 25 balls, and Bevon Jacobs, who finished unbeaten on 39 from 23 balls.

The series continues with the fourth Twenty20 match scheduled for Friday at Eden Park in Auckland.