India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I innings feel less like batting and more like a storm rolling through. Abhishek Sharma’s 113 off 38 balls in Wellington was exactly that. India chased 199 in just 13.2 overs, won by six wickets, and sealed the five-match series with two games still to play.

India Vs New Zealand Match Summary

India’s 199/4 (13.2 overs) beat New Zealand 198/3 (20 overs) by six wickets, with 40 balls to spare.

New Zealand Set A Big Target

India put New Zealand in, and the hosts made the most of it. Daryl Mitchell stayed unbeaten on 89 and carried the innings to 198/3. Arshdeep Singh took 1 for 33. On most nights, that total would feel like a winning one.

How The India Vs New Zealand Chase Unfolded

Abhishek and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened with pure aggression. India reached 50 in just 2.2 overs, their fastest fifty in men’s T20I cricket, and Abhishek got his own fifty off 15 balls.

By the end of the powerplay, India was 118 without loss. That is the highest powerplay total in men’s T20I history. Abhishek reached his hundred off 35 balls, and the opening stand grew to 133 in 7.1 overs.

Matthew Fisher finally broke through in the eighth over. Sooryavanshi was caught by Daryl Mitchell for 45 off 19. Abhishek followed, dismissed by Kyle Jamieson for 113 after nine fours and 11 sixes.

India was 178/2 after 10 overs, needing only 21 more. The Indians finished the job in 13.2 overs.

Key Moments

  • 2.2 overs: India bring up their fastest T20I fifty
  • 15 balls: Abhishek reaches his half-century
  • 6 overs: India are 118/0
  • 35 balls: Abhishek completes his hundred
  • 7.1 overs: The 133-run opening stand ends when Sooryavanshi falls
  • 10 overs: India are 178/2, needing 21
  • 13.2 overs: India reach 199/4 and win with 40 balls to spare

Abhishek Sharma’s Innings In Numbers

  • Runs: 113 off 38 balls
  • Boundaries: nine fours and 11 sixes
  • Strike rate: 297.37
  • Fifty: 15 balls
  • Hundred: 35 balls
  • Boundary runs: 102 of his 113

That last figure is simple arithmetic, but it says a lot. Abhishek hit a boundary off more than half the balls he faced. It was a rare kind of control for a batter swinging that hard.

Sooryavanshi’s Support Act

Abhishek rightly takes the headlines, but his partner deserves real credit. Sooryavanshi’s 45 off 19 meant New Zealand had no quiet end to bowl at. The bowlers could not target one batter and hope the other would slow down. Both kept scoring freely from the first over.

India Vs New Zealand Records And Milestones

  • India’s 118/0 is the highest powerplay score in men’s T20Is.
  • India’s fifty in 2.2 overs is their fastest in men’s T20I cricket.
  • Abhishek’s 35-ball hundred is the joint-second-fastest T20I century by an Indian.
  • It was his fourth T20I century.
  • India finished a 199-run chase with 40 balls to spare.

Where This Sits In Abhishek’s Career

Abhishek’s highest T20I score is still the 135 off 54 balls he hit against England in 2025, the highest individual score by an Indian in the format. This knock was smaller but far quicker. His strike rate here was nearly 50 points higher than in that 135.

New Zealand have felt Abhishek’s excellence before. In January, he smashed an unbeaten 68 off 20 balls in a third T20I in Guwahati. That was a different series and a different ground. The fireworks looked familiar.

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End Of My India Vs New Zealand Rant What Comes Next?

The Indians have already won the series with two T20Is left to play, so a 5-0 sweep is still possible. In India, the series is broadcast on Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV. In New Zealand, it airs on Sky Sport.