India Crush New Zealand With Record Powerplay Start
India thrashed New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20 International on Tuesday, with openers Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Suryavanshi leading a near-flawless batting display at Henry Stadium in Wellington.
Abhishek smashed an unbeaten-style brilliant 113, while Suryavanshi added 45. Their 133-run opening stand came in just 7.1 overs and drove India to a record 118 runs in the powerplay, the highest powerplay score ever recorded by any team in T20 cricket.
New Zealand's bowlers struggled to contain the pair as India set off in pursuit of 199. The chase ended in 13.2 overs, making it the fastest successful pursuit of more than 190 runs by any full-member nation. The win also gives India an unbeaten 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
After the match, captain Shreyas Iyer said he had struggled to find the right words to describe the innings. "It was superb. It gave me great joy to watch the way they played their shots," Iyer said. "When Sanju and I came out to bat, the ball was seaming. I asked myself how they had done it. It was genuinely stunning. Scoring 100 runs in five overs is something I have never witnessed, especially at the international level. This is the finest performance."
India's success in New Zealand has been built on quick adaptation. Iyer said the team had adjusted well to the conditions, which explains why the side has won the opening three matches.
"It is very important, particularly when you are playing overseas. Players should keep doing what they are doing," he said. "You know the conditions will be different and you have to handle many different deliveries. Overcoming those challenges with a performance like this is worthy of praise. Taking the series lead in the third match, with two games remaining, is outstanding. I hope they maintain this form. The way the boys proved their worth in this moment is amazing. Despite jet lag at the start, the way they adapted to the conditions was truly remarkable."
Iyer also explained the tactics used with the ball. He said the bowlers were instructed to bowl yorkers early in the innings, after noticing that hard-length and half-volley deliveries were being despatched over the boundary.
"After 10 overs, whether they bowled a hard length or a half-volley, the ball was going straight into the stands," he said. "I just told the bowlers to bowl as many yorkers as possible, even if it meant six yorkers in a row. Make them play straight, or a wide yorker could help us on this pitch. We executed the plan well and brought the run rate down to between 8 and 9, which helped us hold them to around 10 runs per over. We had planned to restrict them to under 200."