Wellington, October 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Abhishek Sharma produced a sensational, record-breaking century to power India to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday, giving the visitors an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Abhishek smashed 113 off just 38 balls, registering his fourth T20I century and helping India chase down New Zealand’s target of 199 in only 13.2 overs. His explosive innings left the hosts’ depleted bowling attack struggling to contain the Indian batters.
The knock also marked Abhishek’s 11th century in T20 cricket, the most by an Indian player in the format. He moved past veteran batter Virat Kohli, who has scored 10 T20 centuries. Globally, Abhishek now ranks third on the list of players with the most T20 hundreds, behind Chris Gayle, with 22, and Babar Azam, with 13.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, promoted to open the innings, provided equally aggressive support with 45 off 19 deliveries. The pair tore into the New Zealand bowling attack, rewriting the record books during a remarkable powerplay.
India scored 118 without loss in the first six overs, registering the highest team total in the powerplay in men’s T20 Internationals. The previous record was held by Romania, who had scored 116 without losing a wicket against Serbia in 2021.
India also reached 100 runs in just five overs, the second-fastest team hundred in the format, behind Eswatini’s effort against Mozambique earlier this year. The visitors brought up their team fifty in 2.2 overs, equalling the joint-fastest mark, previously achieved by Papua New Guinea against Vanuatu and Romania against Serbia.
New Zealand, already without Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson due to fitness concerns, struggled to cope with the onslaught. Returning pacers Kyle Jamieson and Matthew Fisher, along with captain Mitchell Santner, managed to take wickets, but the damage had largely been done.
Jamieson dismissed Sooryavanshi for 45 in the eighth over before removing Abhishek in the 10th, ending the left-hander’s breathtaking innings of 113. He later claimed the wicket of Sanju Samson, who scored 18. Santner dismissed Shreyas Iyer for five in the 13th over, while Fisher accounted for Sooryavanshi.
However, Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir ensured there were no further complications, guiding India home in the 14th over to seal the six-wicket win.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell’s career-best T20 score of 89 not out off 52 balls helped New Zealand post 198/3. The hosts were well placed at 100/2 at the halfway stage and appeared poised for a total beyond 200.
Mitchell anchored the innings for most of the first 20 overs, while Bevon Jacobs contributed 39 off 23 balls. New Zealand reached 123/3 after 12 overs but could not produce the late acceleration needed to set India a more challenging target.
India’s bowlers adjusted well to the conditions, using fuller deliveries and yorkers to restrict the scoring during the closing overs. With the straight boundaries longer than the square boundaries, the visitors maintained disciplined lines and lengths to prevent the hosts from finishing strongly.
New Zealand managed only 63 runs in the final seven overs as India’s bowlers successfully contained the scoring. Four different bowlers were deployed during the death overs, helping the visitors keep the hosts below the 200-run mark.
The victory gave India a commanding 3-0 lead in the five-match series, securing the series with two matches still to play.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 198/3 (Daryl Mitchell 89 not out, Finn Allen 40; Arshdeep Singh 1/33, Axar Patel 1/36) lost to India 199/4 (Abhishek Sharma 113, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 45; Kyle Jamieson 2/45, Mitchell Santner 1/17) by six wickets.
FOLLOW NOW
