Abhishek Sharma is fast turning T20 carnage into a routine.
The 25-year-old Indian opener again set the tone as the Men in Blue outgunned New Zealand by 48 runs in the opening T20I in Nagpur on Thursday.
India’s 238 for 7 was built on Abhishek’s outrageous 84 off just 35 balls — an innings packed with eight towering sixes and five fours. Once he got going, New Zealand’s fielders were reduced to spectators.
Rinku Singh then supplied the perfect finish, hammering an unbeaten 44 off 20 balls to push the total firmly into “good luck chasing that” territory.
Abhishek needed just five deliveries to find his range. The first six — lofted straight into the sight screen — was the warning shot. What followed was sustained brutality.
New Zealand lacked express
pace, and on a featherbed pitch, Abhishek’s bat speed did the rest. Seamers bowling in the low 130s were treated with disdain, while even spin wasn’t spared.
His fearless approach also helped skipper Suryakumar Yadav find his feet. Though far from fluent, Suryakumar scraped together 32 off 22 balls during a rapid 99-run stand that effectively buried the Black Caps early. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan failed to cash in up top, but Abhishek made sure those misses barely mattered.
NZ Fall Flat With The Bat
New Zealand’s reply had brief sparks.
Glenn Phillips smashed a counter-attacking 78 off 40 balls and added 79 in just seven overs with Mark Chapman, threatening something improbable. But the required rate kept climbing, and the pressure proved too much.
India’s bowlers kept striking at the right moments. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya delivered early blows, while Varun Chakravarthy (2/37) once again played the enforcer through the middle overs. The chase fizzled out at 190 for 7.
(with PTI inputs)
