Abhishek Sharma blazed an extraordinary 113 off 38 balls to power India to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday, 27 October, giving the visitors an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. India overhauled a 199-run target in just 13.2 overs, a chase that shattered multiple world records and left the New Zealand bowling attack in ruins.

Abhishek's Record-Breaking Blitz

Abhishek Sharma's fourth T20I century is now his 11th T20 hundred overall — the most by any Indian batter in the shortest format, surpassing Virat Kohli's tally of 10. Globally, only Chris Gayle (22 centuries) and Babar Azam (13) sit ahead of him in the all-time T20 hundreds list. His knock was characterised by brutal power from the first ball, and he was eventually dismissed by Kyle Jamieson for 113 in the 10th over.

Opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, promoted to the top of the order for this match, was equally destructive, crashing 45 off 19 deliveries before Matthew Fisher ended his innings in the eighth over. Together, the pair turned the chase into a one-sided spectacle.

A Powerplay for the Record Books

India's first six overs produced 118/0 — the highest powerplay total in men's T20I history, eclipsing the previous record of 116/0 set by Romania against Serbia in 2021. The team also reached 50 runs in 2.2 overs, equalling the joint-fastest team fifty in T20I history, a mark also held by Papua New Guinea (vs Vanuatu) and Romania (vs Serbia). India further breached the 100-run mark in just five overs, the second-fastest century partnership by any team in the format, behind only Eswatini, who had done so in 4.5 overs against Mozambique earlier this year.

Notably, this powerplay assault came against a depleted New Zealand attack already without pace spearheads Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson, both absent due to fitness concerns — a context that somewhat qualifies the record, even as the hitting itself was undeniably exceptional.

New Zealand's Bowling Struggles and Late Fight

Returning pacer Kyle Jamieson was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 2 for 45. He removed Abhishek in the 10th over and later dismissed Sanju Samson for 18. Mitchell Santner, captaining the side, accounted for Shreyas Iyer (5) in the 13th over, while Fisher took the wicket of Sooryavanshi. But with the asking rate effectively nullified in the powerplay itself, their efforts were too late. Tilak Varma (1) and Naman Dhir (4) guided India over the line in the 14th over.

Mitchell Anchors New Zealand to 198

In the first innings, Daryl Mitchell played the innings of his T20I career, an unbeaten 89 off 52 balls — his best T20 score — to steer New Zealand to 198/3. Finn Allen contributed 40 and Bevon Jacobs made 39 off 23, but the lower-order failed to deliver the final flourish the hosts needed. New Zealand were 100/2 after 10 overs and 123/3 after 12, but managed only 63 runs in the final seven overs as Indian bowlers — including Arshdeep Singh (1 for 33) and Axar Patel (1 for 36) — bowled full and straight, exploiting the long straight boundaries at the venue.

Series Outlook

India have now clinched yet another T20I series against New Zealand, their third successive series win over the Kiwis in this format. With the final two games of the five-match series still to come, India have the luxury of experimenting with their squad. All eyes will be on whether Sooryavanshi can consolidate his opening role and whether Abhishek can sustain this extraordinary run of form heading into an increasingly competitive T20I calendar.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 198/3 (Daryl Mitchell 89*, Finn Allen 40; Arshdeep Singh 1-33, Axar Patel 1-36) lost to India (Abhishek Sharma 113, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 45; Kyle Jamieson 2-45, Mitchell Santner 1-17) by six wickets.