Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking 14-ball fifty while skipper Suryakumar Yadav continued his sublime touch with another attacking half-century as India waltzed through the chase in just 10 overs to seal an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I, clinching the five-match series 3-0 in Guwahati on Sunday.Chasing a modest 154, India turned the contest into a one-sided exhibition of power-hitting, with Abhishek remaining unbeaten on a blistering 68 off just 20 balls (7×4, 5×6) and Suryakumar smashing an equally fluent 57 not out off 26 deliveries (6×4, 3×6). The duo stitched together an unbroken 102-run partnership for the third wicket in just 40 balls, finishing the game with 60 deliveries to spare.
The onslaught began despite an early setback, with Sanju Samson falling for a golden duck on the very first delivery of the chase. What followed was a ruthless display from Ishan Kishan, Abhishek and Suryakumar, leaving the New Zealand bowlers searching for answers. So dominant was India’s batting that the cheapest over conceded by the visitors went for 11 runs — and that happened only twice.Abhishek entered the record books by registering the second-fastest T20I fifty by an Indian, reaching the milestone in just 14 balls. He narrowly missed Yuvraj Singh’s iconic 12-ball half-century from the 2007 T20 World Cup, an innings remembered for six sixes off Stuart Broad. Such was Abhishek’s impact that Devon Conway and Jacob Duffy were even seen checking the opener’s bat after his brutal assault.The explosive knock also saw Abhishek surpass Suryakumar Yadav for most T20I fifties in 25 balls or fewer. He now has nine such half-centuries, going past Yadav’s eight. With this innings, Abhishek also completed 1,200 T20I runs in just 36 innings, underlining his growing stature as one of India’s most destructive white-ball batters.Suryakumar, meanwhile, continued his rich vein of form, complementing Abhishek perfectly with a blistering unbeaten 57 that kept the pressure firmly on New Zealand throughout the chase.The emphatic victory not only handed India their third straight win of the series but also underlined the depth and firepower of their batting unit. It was one of the most crushing wins this Indian outfit has registered against a top-quality opponent, sealing the series with two games still to play.
