India’s T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer described the batting exploits of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as “absolutely stunning” after their explosive start propelled the Men in Blue to a series-clinching six-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday (October 27).
Chasing 199 to win, Abhishek hammered a blistering 113 off just 38 balls, including 11 sixes and 9 fours, while Sooryavanshi contributed 45 off 19 deliveries as the visitors overhauled the target in just 13.2 overs. The duo added 133 runs for the opening wicket in 7.1 overs.
“Absolutely stunning. It was pleasing to the eyes the way they played strokes. Also, when Sanju and I went to bat, the ball was seaming, and I was like, how did they manage this? It was simply mind-boggling,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation.
Asked whether the batting display topped the list of the best he had witnessed, the captain stated that the pair's scoring rate was extraordinary, even by international standards.
“Honestly speaking, getting 100 in 5 overs, I've never seen that before, especially at the international level. And definitely tops it,” he added.
India began the chase in an aggressive manner, with Abhisek and Sooryavanshi scoring 26 runs in the opening over bowled by Jacob Duffy. The pair continued their assault, helping the tourists register the highest Powerplay total in men's T20I history -- 118/0.
Abhisek reached his half-century off 15 balls and completed his century in 35 deliveries. While Sooryavanshi fell in the eighth over, Sharma maintained the momentum alongside Sanju Samson.
With this victory, India secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. Shreyas highlighted the significance of this performance given the team's quick turnaround, demanding travel schedule, and initial jet lag upon arriving in New Zealand.
“I think it’s essential, especially coming overseas. You know the conditions are going to be different, and you’ll be challenged with a lot of different deliveries. And just to overcome this by such phenomenal performance, credit where it’s due, the way they played today, it was exceptional. And obviously, winning the series with the third match and two more to go, I hope that they keep continuing with the same form, and yes, it’s just amazing the way the lads pulled up to this occasion. Jet lag at the start and then the way they fitted to the occasion, mind-boggling,” he remarked.
Earlier, Daryl Mitchell slammed an unbeaten 89 off 52 balls as the Black Caps posted 198/3 after being invited to bat first. Bevon Jacobs (39 off 23) and Finn Allen (40 off 25) also made vital contributions with the bat.
Shreyas Iyer also addressed India’s bowling strategy as the Kiwi batters scored freely. “So after 10 overs, I realised that anything they were bowling, hard length or even half volleys, it was going into the stands. I just said, try and bowl yorkers as much as possible, even if you bowl six-ball yorkers. Make them hit down the ground, or a wide yorker is going to help us on this wicket. So, yeah, we were able to execute that and minimise that run rate to eight to nine; that helped us a lot to keep them at 10 runs an over. And yeah, our plan was to restrict them under 200,” he concluded.
