Abhishek Sharma produced a sensational display of power-hitting, smashing a century off just 35 balls as India defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20 International on Tuesday to clinch the five-match series with an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Chasing a target of 199, India reached 199 for four in just 13.2 overs, completing the victory with 40 balls to spare. Abhishek led the charge with 113 off 38 deliveries, hitting 11 sixes and nine fours, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided explosive support with 45 off 19 balls.
The pair added 133 runs for the opening wicket, effectively taking the contest away from New Zealand before the halfway stage of India's innings.
Abhishek's explosive century
Abhishek attacked the New Zealand bowling from the opening over, reaching his half-century in just 15 balls before completing his hundred off 35 deliveries.
The left-handed batter maintained a strike rate of nearly 300 during his innings, repeatedly clearing the boundary as the hosts struggled to contain India's aggressive approach.
His fourth T20I century also took his overall tally to 11 hundreds in T20 cricket, surpassing Virat Kohli's tally of 10. He joined Suryakumar Yadav among Indian batters with four T20I centuries, while Rohit Sharma remains ahead with five.
Abhishek eventually fell to Kyle Jamieson for 113, but by then India had moved firmly into a winning position.
India set powerplay record
India's opening partnership rewrote the record books as Abhishek and Sooryavanshi scored 118 without loss in the first six overs, registering the highest powerplay total in men's T20 International cricket.
The previous record was 116 without loss, set by Romania against Serbia in 2021.
The Indian openers began their assault by collecting 26 runs from Jacob Duffy's first over. They added 17 runs in the second and 21 in the third, racing to 64 without loss after just three overs.
The scoring continued at a remarkable pace as India added another 54 runs in the following three overs.
Sooryavanshi struck four boundaries and four sixes during his 19-ball innings before Matthew Fisher dismissed him in the eighth over.
The 133-run opening stand laid the foundation for India's commanding victory and ensured that the required run rate never became a concern.
New Zealand post 198 for three
Earlier, New Zealand scored 198 for three after being asked to bat first, with Daryl Mitchell anchoring the innings through an unbeaten 89 off 52 deliveries.
Finn Allen contributed 40 off 25 balls, including five sixes, and helped the hosts establish a strong platform.
Mitchell and Allen added 86 runs before Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed the latter. Glenn Phillips, playing his 100th T20 International, scored 17 before falling to Axar Patel.
Mitchell then combined with Bevon Jacobs, who struck 39 off 23 balls, to add 75 runs for the fourth wicket.
Despite their strong batting performance, New Zealand were unable to cross the 200-run mark.
Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy claimed one wicket each for India.
India seal series with two matches left
After the dismissal of Sooryavanshi, Abhishek continued attacking the New Zealand bowlers before Jamieson ended his innings.
Sanju Samson contributed 18 runs, while captain Shreyas Iyer scored five. Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir remained unbeaten as India completed the chase. Jamieson finished with two wickets, while Fisher and Mitchell Santner took one each. The victory gave India an unassailable 3-0 advantage in the five-match series, with two matches still remaining.
The fourth T20 International is scheduled to be played in Auckland on Friday, October 30, followed by the final match in Hamilton on November 1. Abhishek was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings, which helped India register one of the fastest successful chases of a target exceeding 190 in men's T20 International cricket.