Abhishek Sharma made 113 in 38 balls with 11 sixes and 9 fours in Wellington T20I.
New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell has lauded India opener Abhishek Sharma’s brilliant century in the recent third T20I in Wellington as a special knock. India defeated New Zealand by 6 wickets in a dominating fashion to go 3-0 up in the five-game series.
Daryl Mitchell’s 89* and contributions from Fill Allen (40) and Bevon Jacobs (39*) were the cornerstone of New Zealand’s 198/3 in 20 overs after the Kiwis were asked to bat first by India captain Shreyas Iyer.
However, the chase was made easy thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 19-ball 45 and Abhishek Sharma’s fourth T20I century, 113 in 38 balls with 11 sixes and 9 fours. The duo added 133 runs in 7.1 overs, including a world-record powerplay score of 118 in the first six overs.
Abhishek’s whirlwind knock helped India seize early control and cruise to a six-wicket win in just 13.2 overs.
Daryl Mitchell praised India opener Abhishek Sharma for his "world-class hitting" ability but hoped his side could turn the tide in the remaining two T20Is of the five-match series.
"A very special innings, I think. Some of that hitting was world-class, and that's why he is one of the best in the world at what he does. You take your hat off and say, Well played. It was definitely his night, and I'm sure it's one that people won't forget for a long time,” Mitchell told the post-match press conference.
Mitchell, though, wanted the Kiwis to rebound in the fourth and fifth Twenty20 Internationals.
"The series has gone, but there are still two games left for New Zealand. So, a lot to play for. It's always very special playing for the Black Caps. It's something you dream of as a little kid, to be sitting here and doing these things across all three formats. Look, a pretty much sold-out Eden Park (venue for the 4th T20I) is going to be pretty special in about 48 hours or 72 hours' time. So, looking forward to that, and it should be good fun," he said.
Mitchell rued some silly errors that New Zealand made at crucial junctures in this series.
"There're probably small moments in games we look back on and wish we could have done it again, which could have seen us 2-1 up if those moments had gone our way. But at the same time, we pride ourselves on our preparation, and we know this is a big summer for us ahead.
We've obviously got ODIs and a couple of big Tests before we head off to Australia. So, yeah, it's an exciting summer for us as Black Caps," he noted.
The fourth T20I will be played on October 30 in Auckland, before Hamilton hosts the fifth and final game on November 1.
The two sides will then clash in a series of five ODIs, starting on November 4, and then in a two-Test series, from November 19 onwards.
(PTI inputs)