Over the past two years, India have become one of the most feared T20I sides in world cricket. Yet on a steamy Saturday in Thiruvananthapuram, the Men in Blue redefined the limits of possibility. In a performance designed to bring a cold sweat to opposition pundits ahead of the T20 World Cup on February 7, India plundered a gargantuan 271 for 6 thanks to Ishan Kishan’s headline-stealing 43-ball 103.
IND vs NZ, 5th T20I: Highlights | Scorecard
Despite New Zealand showing plenty of guts in the chase – led by a sensational, 38-ball 80 from Finn Allen – the target of 272 proved too high. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 225 in 19.4 overs, going down by 46 runs under Indian scoreboard pressure.
#ArshdeepSingh”s fearsome fifer to swing the game under #TeamIndiacontrol! He brought up his best figures just 7 days before the men’s ICC #T20 World Cup! #INDvNZ 5. T20I LIVE NOW pic.twitter.com/khc91f9BvY
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 31, 2026
On a dewy evening when many expected the ball to pop off the surface, “Mount 271” remained unbeatable. Arshdeep Singh spearheaded the defense with a clinical first five-wicket haul, while Axar Patel provided a sensational middle-bumper that drained the life out of the Kiwis’ chase. It was a crucial collective effort; on a rare night when Jasprit Bumrah proved expensive, the rest of the attack stepped up to ensure the series ended with a dominant 4-1 scoreline.
Although Suryakumar Yadav expressed concern about the dew and how India wanted to face the ball at the toss, his batting made those variables irrelevant. 271 was too much for the Black Caps.
SCARY 271
What makes this set truly terrifying is not just the sheer volume of the series, but the way they were produced. On a deck flatter than the main road leading to the Greenfield Stadium, India proved that their batting engine room is now self-sustaining even if the spark plugs above fail.
Before Saturday, all three Indian T20I units were 250-plus at the forefront.
Sanju Samson’s twin demolitions of Bangladesh (297/6) and South Africa (283/1) in 2024.
Rohit Sharma’s clinical hundred as they crossed the 250-run mark for the first time in 2017 (260).
But Saturday broke the mold. India crossed the 250 mark for the first time without a platform built by the openers. Hometown hero Samson fell for just six, leaving the crowd – packed to the rafters and draped in blue – momentarily stunned. Abhishek Sharma showed flashes of his mercantile business with a 16-ball 30, only to have his woodwork disturbed by a 145.8km/h tracking bullet from Lockie Ferguson.
At 69 for 2 after eight overs, the innings was at a crossroads. A respectable 200 seemed like a ceiling; 270 wasn’t even on the radar.
Then came the storm. If there were whispers of over-reliance on Abhishek Sharma heading into this series, they were silenced by a display of pure, unadulterated middle-order muscle.
A SPECIAL NIGHT FOR ISHANA KISHANA
In-form injection Ishan Kishan changed the face of the evening. His maiden T20I century was a masterclass in controlled aggression, a 43-ball 103 that treated the New Zealand attack with a level of disdain usually reserved for club cricket. Next to him, Suryakumar Yadav once again let his bat do the talking.
To top off a demoralizing show, Hardik Pandya arrived to provide the final flourish, smashing a 17-ball 42 and ensuring the Black Caps spent the last five overs chasing shadows in the damp Kerala air.
If there is a shadow hanging over this clinical Indian side, it is that of local hero Sanju Samson. His homecoming was anything but memorable; Restored to the opening slot after the team aborted the Shubman Gill experiment, the batter looked desperate for wickets.
His struggle for rhythm culminated in a scratchy ascent to Lockie Ferguson’s tracer, which fell into a premeditated lift that suggested a mind cluttered by the weight of expectation.
While Samson’s management has supported and acknowledged his constant tossing up the order, the rope inevitably shortens with age. With Ishan Kishan breathing down his neck and delivering a definitive statement at Samson’s ground, the selectors face a familiar headache: do they stick with Sanju, or succumb to the undeniable logic of promoting a man in red-hot form?
Kishan’s innings was a masterclass in situational awareness. He absorbed the early pressure of Samson’s departure and played with a calm and clear head.
Rather than force the issue against Ferguson’s pace in excess of 145km/h, he guided the ball into the gaps and steadied the ship alongside Suryakumar Yadav before the field widened.
Once the spinners arrived, the handbrake was released. Kishan dismantled Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner with surgical precision, announcing his intent with a move in the ninth round before turning the twelfth into pure carnage. He plundered two sixes and four boundaries in Sodhi’s single to eventually reach his maiden T20I ton with back-to-back maximums from Santner.
As Greenfield Stadium rose to its feet, there was a poignant, hushed realization in the crowd that they might be witnessing the man to replace their hometown hero.
Kishan’s reach was exhaustive; whether he was dancing down the track or adapting to wide deliveries, he used every arc of the ground.
Hardik Pandya provided the final flourish with similar disdain, smashing four sixes before walking back to prepare for his opening spell. Hardik’s current development is astounding; though no longer in the formal leadership group, he remains the general on the field, carrying out his role with a quiet, deadly confidence.
With fit-again Tilak Varma expected to rejoin the team ahead of the World Cup, India’s batting depth will only increase. It sounded like a thunder bugle as the defending champions secured a 4-1 series victory over New Zealand. For anyone still questioning their status as outright favourites, this Thiruvananthapuram blitz served as a reality check.
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
January 31, 2026
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