Abhishek Sharma's 113 Sends India to Unbeatable T20 Series Lead
India have won the T20 series against New Zealand with two matches still to play. They beat the hosts by six wickets in the third match in Wellington, and BBC Sport reports that the win took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. They chased down New Zealand's target of 199 with 40 balls to spare.
The match was won by one batter. Abhishek Sharma scored 113 from 38 balls for India, with nine fours and 11 sixes. He reached 50 from 15 deliveries and his century came off 35 balls. He already holds the record for India's fastest T20 hundred, which took 30 balls against Afghanistan last month.
India's start was the real story. Sharma and his opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put on 133 runs in just seven overs for the first wicket. Sooryavanshi made 45 from 19 balls. The powerplay, the first six overs when fielding restrictions are tightest, ended with India on 118. That is a new record for the powerplay score in international T20s, according to the official figures.
New Zealand were not out of it at the halfway point. They batted first and scored 198 for three in their 20 overs. Daryl Mitchell led the way with 89 from 52 balls. Finn Allen gave them a fast start with 40 from 25 balls. Those were strong totals, and most sides would expect to defend them.
India, though, did not give the bowlers time to settle. Once the opening pair got going, the required rate, which is the average number of runs needed per over to win, never became a problem. India reached 199 for four in 13.2 overs, which is 80 legal balls out of a possible 120.
For casual fans, the shape of the game is simple. A T20 is a short format, with each side batting for 20 overs, so one good opening stand can decide the whole match. Here, the first six overs alone set up the chase. The middle and late overs became a formality.
The result leaves the series out of New Zealand's reach. Two matches remain, but no outcome can change the overall winner now. Both sides will still want to finish strongly, and the remaining matches will show how the teams respond after a heavy defeat. New Zealand will want to show that Mitchell and Allen can deliver under pressure. India will want to keep their batting depth working.
What stands out most is the speed of it all. A bowling attack that restricted New Zealand to 198 still had no answer to a batting display that rewrote the powerplay record. Cricket can turn in an over. In Wellington, it turned in six.
