Abhishek Sharma’s century propels India to a convincing win over New Zealand

India’s Abhishek Sharma celebrates his hundred (AP/PTI) Abhishek Sharma produced a breathtaking display of power-hitting to smash a 35-ball century as India beat New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20I in Wellington on Tuesday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.The left-handed opener smashed 113 off just 38 deliveries, hitting 11 sixes and nine fours as India chased down New Zealand’s target of 199 in just 13.2 overs, with 40 balls to spare.Sharma received explosive support from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the pair charged into the New Zealand attack from the start. Jacob Duffy conceded 26 runs in the opening over, followed by 17 and 21 in the next two as India raced to 64 for no loss in three overs.The onslaught intensified as India plundered 20 runs in the fourth over, 16 in the fifth and another 18 in the sixth to finish the Powerplay at a staggering 118 for no wicket. Sharma reached his fifty in just 15 balls.Matthew Fisher finally broke the opening stand in the eighth over when he dismissed Sooryavanshi for a blistering 45 off 19 deliveries, including four sixes and four fours. However, Sharma continued his attack alongside Sanju Samson to take India to 156/1 after eight overs.After a relatively quiet ninth over, Sharma brought up his century off 35 balls against Kyle Jamieson in the 10th over. He eventually fell to Jamieson for 113 off 38 deliveries, but India were now firmly in control.The chase lost momentum briefly as Shreyas Iyer and Samson departed towards the end. However, India comfortably crossed the finish line in 13.2 overs to register a commanding victory.Jamieson claimed two wickets, while Fisher and Mitchell Santner got one each. None of the New Zealand bowlers managed to keep the economy rate below 12 runs per over.Mitchell, Jacobs lift New Zealand to 198/3Daryl Mitchell’s earlier unbeaten 89 off 52 balls helped New Zealand to 198/3 after India opted to bowl. Bevon Jacobs provided a brisk finish with 39 off 23 deliveries as the pair added an unbeaten 75-run stand for the fourth wicket.New Zealand lost Tim Seifert early and Arshdeep Singh dismissed the opener for two. Finn Allen and Mitchell then rebuilt the innings and put on 86 runs before Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Allen for 40 off 25 balls, an innings with five sixes.Glenn Phillips, playing in his 100th T20I, could only manage 17 before being dismissed by Axar Patel in the 12th over. Mitchell and Jacobs subsequently ensured that the hosts finished with a competitive total, although the Indian bowlers restricted the scoring in the second half of the innings.Arshdeep, Axar and Nitish picked up a wicket each while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was wicketless.India is rewriting the record booksIndia’s emphatic chase ranked among the fastest successful chases of at least 190 in T20 cricket. Their 199-run chase, completed with 40 balls to spare, was second on the all-time list behind Estonia’s successful 192-run effort against Cyprus in 2024 with 42 balls to spare.Among all-rounders, it broke India’s previous record against New Zealand in Raipur earlier this year when they chased down 209 with 28 balls to spare.Sharma’s century, completed in 35 balls, also made him among the fastest centurions in T20Is involving full teams. He had earlier scored a 30-ball hundred against Afghanistan in Delhi 2026.The opening partnership between Sharma and Sooryavanshi was equally remarkable, scoring 18.13, the highest in a century for tournaments involving full teams in men’s T20Is.