It was the Abhishek Sharma show at windy Wellington as he dazzled under the lights in a chase of 199 runs. Abhishek Sharma smashed New Zealand, but before that Daryl Mitchell hit a masterful unbeaten 89, and with support from Finn Allen and Bevon-John Jacobs, New Zealand managed a competitive 198/3 in 20 overs, with Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy amongst the wickets as India bowled decently to keep the target down to less than 200.
In reply, Abhishek Sharma obliterated New Zealand with his 4th T20I ton as he got there in 35 balls while scoring 113 off 38 balls with 9 fours and 11 sixes to his name. He was ably supported by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who made 45 off 19 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name as India massacred New Zealand in the powerplay, scoring 100 in 5 overs and 118 in 6 overs. They were 133/1 in 7 overs and 178/2 in 10 overs. India have sealed the match by 6 wickets and the series 3-0 with 2 games to spare.
Daryl Mitchell’s sublime unbeaten 89 powers New Zealand to a competitive 198/3 in 20 overs
Put into bat first by India yet again, keeper-batter Tim Seifert and Finn Allen came out to open the batting for New Zealand while Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the ball in hand for India. Kumar bowled a decent first over. The duo put on 4 runs for the first wicket before Seifert fell for 2 off 6 balls to Arshdeep Singh. Daryl Mitchell came out to bat next.
Mitchell and Allen got themselves in and forged an important stand and increased the tempo of the game. The duo first took New Zealand to 58/2 in 6 overs of the powerplay. Allen and Mitchell increased the tempo post that phase as well. The duo put on a total of 86 runs for the second wicket before Allen fell for 40 off 25 balls with 5 sixes to his name to Nitish Kumar Reddy as Naman Dhir took a spectacular catch at long-on. Glenn Phillips came out to bat next.
Phillips and Mitchell continued with the momentum as New Zealand reached 100/2 in 10 overs. The duo added 33 runs for the third wicket before Phillips fell for 17 off 14 balls with 3 fours to his name to Axar Patel. Bevon-John Jacobs came out to bat next. Mitchell continued his merry ways against India and completed a nice half-century. The duo took charge and made sure India did not get any further wickets after this phase. The duo played the last 8 overs as India pulled it back slightly.
Mitchell put on a clinic and showed his class while Jacobs complemented him really well. The duo ensured New Zealand got a good first innings total. The duo put on an unbeaten 75 runs off 48 balls as New Zealand fell short of 200 but finished with a handy 198/3 in 20 overs. 11 extras were given by the fielding side.
India had a decent day with the ball in hand. Arshdeep Singh finished with figures of 1/33 in 4 overs. Axar Patel finished with 1/36 in 4 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with 0/40 in 4 overs. Prince Yadav finished with 0/44 in 4 overs. This meant that India had a challenging target of 199 runs to win off 20 overs.
Abhishek Sharma’s 4th T20I ton pulverises New Zealand and takes India over the line in 13.2 overs
Chasing 199 for a series-sealing win, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma came out to open the batting for India while Jacob Duffy had the new ball in hand for New Zealand. The first over set the tone for the chase, as Vaibhav hit a boundary and Abhishek got into the act. Some extras were given, as 26 came off the first over. That really set things up for India.
From here, Vaibhav played fewer balls but did his bit, but it was the Abhishek Sharma show as the left-hander stole the show in the power play. The duo obliterated the hosts in the powerplay. Few extras were given, but Abhishek was all over the New Zealand team. They just broke the record books as the powerplay literally killed the match there and then. The duo took India past 100 inside 5 overs, and Abhishek got his fifty in 15 balls. The powerplay score was 118/0 in 6 overs, which was a record, with Vaibhav and Abhishek in full flow.
The duo carried on their merry ways as they put on 133 runs for the first wicket inside 7 overs. The game was gone here as well. Vaibhav also did his bit before he was dismissed for 45 off 19 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name against Matthew Fisher. Sanju Samson came out to bat next with the job done totally. Abhishek soon motored along and continued his merry ways. He reached his ton in 35 balls, his 4th T20I ton. Abhishek and Sanju put on 45 runs for the second wicket before Abhishek fell for 113 off 38 balls with 9 fours and 11 sixes to his name to Kyle Jamieson.
Captain Shreyas Iyer came out to bat next. India were 178/2 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the game and needed 21 runs off 60 balls. Things quietened down after 10 overs as India dealt more in singles, as the required rate was not demanding at all. The duo of Sanju and Shreyas added 15 runs for the third wicket before Shreyas’ struggle came to an end as he fell for 5 off 10 balls to Mitchell Santner. Tilak Varma came out to bat next.
Just two runs were added to the tally before Sanju fell for 18 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name as he was cleaned up by Jamieson. Naman Dhir came out to bat with 4 runs to get for the win, and he hit the boundary to finish things off for India. Tilak remained unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball, and Naman was unbeaten on 4 off 1 ball as India finished with 199/4 in 13.2 overs. 13 extras were given by the fielding side.
New Zealand bowlers went the distance in the powerplay, and they lost the plot. Kyle Jamieson finished with 2/45 in 3.2 overs. Mitchell Santner finished with 1/17 in 3 overs. Matthew Fisher bowled an over for 17 runs and picked up a wicket. Jacob Duffy finished with 0/44 in 2 overs. Adam Milne finished with 0/33 in 2 overs. Michael Bracewell finished with 0/36 in 2 overs. So, India thrashed New Zealand by 6 wickets with 6.4 overs left. Abhishek Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
So, India have sealed the series 3-0 with 2 games to spare. They would like to keep the momentum going in the last two matches as well. Can New Zealand build courage and pull one back in the next game? They will be playing for pride. The next game takes place at Eden Park, Auckland on 30th October, 2026 from 12:30 PM IST. Let’s see if India goes 4-0 up or whether New Zealand fights back.
Let’s see how Game 4 pans out from here.
Also Read: NZ VS IND: Daryl Mitchell’s Explosive Knock Flattens India.