Abhishek Sharma’s 35-ball hundred powers India to series-sealing win over New Zealand in Wellington

Abhishek Sharma struck a 35-ball century as India chased down 199 against New Zealand in just 13.2 overs at Wellington on Tuesday, 27 October, winning the third T20 International by six wickets and taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. The left-hander made 113 off 38 balls before Kyle Jamieson removed him in the 10th over, by which time the contest was all but over.

A record powerplay

New Zealand had posted 198 for 3 after being put in, built around Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 89 off 52 balls, his highest T20I score. Finn Allen made 40 off 25 and Bevon Jacobs an unbeaten 39 off 23. The hosts managed only 52 runs in the last five overs, which proved costly.

India’s reply began with 26 runs off the first over, and Abhishek and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi raced to 118 without loss in the six-over powerplay. That is a new record for men’s T20 Internationals, beating the 116 Romania scored against Serbia in 2021, according to Geo Super. India also reached 100 in five overs. The opening pair added 133, according to the ICC, before Sooryavanshi, who was opening in place of Sanju Samson, fell for 45 off 19 balls, caught by Mitchell off Matthew Fisher.

Abhishek reached fifty in 15 balls and his hundred in 35. Reports differ on how many sixes he hit: AAP and india.com count 11 with nine fours, while 1News reported 10 sixes and seven fours. Shreyas Iyer (5) and Samson (18) fell cheaply later, but India finished with 40 balls to spare.

Getting the records right

Despite the buzz around a fastest T20 century, the Wellington hundred was not Abhishek’s quickest. Last month, on 17 September against Afghanistan in Delhi, he reached three figures in 30 balls, which AAP described as the fastest T20I hundred by a batter from a Test-playing nation, bettering New Zealand opener Finn Allen’s 33-ball effort from earlier this year. That innings also replaced Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017 as India’s fastest.

The 35-ball ton in Wellington therefore matches the marks of Rohit Sharma and South Africa’s David Miller, and is among the quickest by a Full Member batter, as india.com and myKhel noted. The fastest men’s T20I hundred overall still belongs to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who needed 27 balls against Cyprus in 2024. The ICC said the chase was the second-quickest of a 190-plus target in the format, behind Estonia’s against Cyprus in the same year.

New Zealand left searching for answers

Jamieson, whose name trended widely in India after the match, picked up the prized wicket of Abhishek as the batter tried to clear the ropes once more, but New Zealand’s attack was taken apart in the opening overs. Captain Mitchell Santner was the most economical, conceding 17 runs in three overs for one wicket, according to Yahoo Sports. Santner told the ICC that it was hard to stop the Indian openers once they got going.

What’s next

India had won the first two games in Christchurch, both by four wickets, according to the ICC. The fourth T20I is in Auckland on 30 October and the fifth in Hamilton on 1 November. A five-match ODI series and two Tests follow.

Sources

• ICC: India race to a historic chase to seal T20I series in Wellington
• Geo Super: Abhishek Sharma’s century powers India to T20I series win over New Zealand
• 1News: India thrashes New Zealand in 3rd T20 in Wellington
• Yahoo Sports: Abhishek hits 35-ball ton as India hammer New Zealand
• india.com: Abhishek Sharma sets new world record with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• myKhel: Abhishek Sharma slams 35-ball T20I hundred vs NZ
• Wellington Times (AAP): Indian batter’s record-breaking march to T20 century