India wrap up T20I series with commanding victory over New Zealand in Guwahati

by Devesh Jaganath

image India wrap up T20I series with commanding victory over New Zealand in Guwahati
India produced their most commanding performance of the New Year, defeating New Zealand by eight wickets and with 10 overs to spare at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday afternoon. The Men in Blue have now taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series heading to Visakhapatnam.

Sharma, Yadav blast India to unassailable 3-0 lead in T20I series

India may have faced criticism over recent performances in Test and ODI matches, but they have been incredible in the shortest format and delivered one of their most impressive showings in recent times on Sunday in Guwahati. 

After winning the toss and opting to bowl, India got off to a storming start, knocking over the Black Caps’ openers, Devon Conway and Tim Seifert, in the first two overs, with Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah claiming the wickets. 

Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman briefly provided some stability after the powerplay but Ravi Bishnoi sent the pair back to the pavilion. The Kiwis' middle and lower order struggled to cope with Bumrah in the latter overs and eventually limped to 153/9 in their 20 overs. 

In their innings, the Men in Blue lost Sanju Samson for a golden duck, while Player of the Match in the second T20I Ishan Kishan had a disappointing afternoon, dismissed for 28 runs off 13 balls by Ish Sodhi in the fourth over. 

However, Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav were in incredible form and smashed the opposing bowlers all over the ground, leading their team to victory by eight wickets and with 10 overs to spare, while also confirming our cricket predictions. 

Sharma was at his destructive best, scoring 68* from just 20 deliveries, including seven 4s and five sixes to finish with a strike rate of 340. Yadav took just 26 balls to score 57 with six 4s, three 6s, and a strike rate of 219.23.

Sharma etches name in cricket history books again 

After a disappointing performance in the second T20I, Sharma stepped out in Guwahati looking like a man on a mission and produced a knock for the ages, spearheading his side’s batting lineup with his innings of 68* from just 20 deliveries. 

The destructive left-hander brought up his half-century in just 14 balls, setting a new record for the fastest fifty against New Zealand and the second-quickest against any opponent by an Indian batter, just two deliveries slower than Yuvraj Singh in 2007. 

Fastest fifties by Indians in T20Is:

1 - Yuvraj Singh: 12 balls

2 - Abhishek Sharma: 14 balls

3 - Hardik Pandya: 16 balls

4 - Abhishek Sharma: 17 balls

5 - KL Rahul: 18 balls