Abhishek’s 113 leads India to series victory over New Zealand

Key Takeaways

Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's partnership helped India win the series.
India chased down New Zealand's total of 198 in just 13.2 overs.
Abhishek's 113 and Sooryavanshi's 45 were crucial in India's victory.

An aggressive partnership by Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi propelled India to a six-wicket win and a series victory over New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday. India sewed up the five-match series with two games to spare, chasing down New Zealand’s total of 198 in just 13.2 overs, Abhishek blasting 113 and Sooryavanshi 45.

The opening pair combined for a 133-run partnership in just 7.1 overs, obliterating the New Zealand bowling attack with one of the most destructive partnerships in T20 history. The first Jacob Duffy over went for 26 runs, and the openers never let up. Abhishek hit nine fours and 11 sixes in his 38-ball knock, receiving a standing ovation when he eventually fell to the bowling of Kyle Jamieson.

By that stage, India had reached 178-2 after just 10 overs. ‘Key was pretty simple, that me and Vaibhav enjoy our time,’ Abhishek said of their partnership. ‘When we were fielding, we saw there was some extra bounce. Vaibhav started off well, and we took the momentum from there.’

Sooryavanshi was promoted to open alongside Abhishek after batting at number three in the second T20, hitting four fours and four sixes in his 19-ball innings. ‘Getting 100 in five overs, have not seen that before at the international level,’ India captain Shreyas Iyer said. ‘Credit where it is due, the way they played is exceptional.’

India won the toss for the third time in three matches and again elected to bowl. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh extracted prodigious seam from the pitch, beating the outside edge of New Zealand openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen. Seifert was removed top-edging Singh for two, before Daryl Mitchell joined Allen and combined for an 86-run partnership.

Mitchell was quick to assess the conditions and moved around the crease in order to counteract the seam movement. He seized on any shorter bowling with powerful strikes to the short square boundaries, hitting five fours and five sixes on his way to 89 from 52 balls. Allen made 40 from 25 balls before departing, and Mitchell found another powerful partner in Bevon Jacobs who hit an unbeaten 39 from 23 deliveries.

The fourth T20 is at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday. The series win cements India's dominance in T20 cricket, with Abhishek and Sooryavanshi's partnership proving to be a formidable force.