Team India has been breathing fire in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. After conquering Nagpur and Raipur, the men in blue aced a record chase to beat the Kiwis by 8 wickets and pocket the series 3-0.
Abhishek Sharma smashed a stunning 68 off 20 balls, hitting a 14-ball fifty — the second fastest by an Indian. Suryakumar Yadav also stayed unbeaten with a fluent 57 off 26 balls. Their 102-run stand in 40 balls sealed the win with 60 balls left. Chasing 154, India finished the match in just 10 overs. India thus became only the second team in the world, after Australia, to chase down a target of more than 150 runs in a T20I match in less than 10 overs.
Captain Suryakumar, who struck a second consecutive fifty this series, appeared satisfied
with the way his team has been performing so far. The hosts have been fearless with the bat, and the skipper said, that’s the brand of the game they want to proceed with.
“I think we’ve spoken about this. This is the brand of cricket which we want to play, irrespective of whether we are batting first or chasing. Of course, for example, if we are 20 for 3 or 40 for 4 tomorrow, we know how to bat. But if you want to play a different brand of cricket, then I think this is the best way going forward. And what do I say about the top 2-3 batters? They made my job very easy,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
On the personal front, the last couple of matches have been quite relieving for the Indian skipper. In Raipur, he scored an unbeaten 82, which was his first fifty-plus score since 2024. He carried his red-hot form in Guwahati, once again playing a captain’s knock and ensuring the team’s convincing win.
Playing for India after nearly a year, Bishnoi, who came in for rested Varun Chakravarthy, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, returning impressive figures of 2 for 18 while maintaining relentless control through the middle overs.
Heaping praise on Bishnoi, Surya said, “I think his plans are pretty clear. He knows his strong points; he knows his bowling really well. Whenever chips are down, whenever the team is under pressure, he’s always delivered. So very good to have him in the side. And a good rest also for Varun.”
