Santner Admits Stopping Abhishek and Vaibhav Is Hard

Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Suryavanshi shredded New Zealand's bowling attack on Tuesday, guiding India to a comfortable six-wicket victory in the third T20I in Wellington. India completed the chase of 199 in only 13.2 overs.

Abhishek's 113 off 38 balls and Vaibhav's rapid 45 off 19 balls formed the backbone of the win. The pair shared an opening partnership of 133 runs and clobbered 118 runs in the powerplay, a record-setting display.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner, who watched the chase unfold at Henry Stadium, said the Indian openers had left his side with few answers. Speaking to broadcasters after the game, he stated that when such players are in form, they are very difficult to restrain.

"We have seen it before, we saw it in the IPL, and tonight in New Zealand we saw the same," Santner said, describing the batting as a clear demonstration of how to play the powerplay.

India again won the toss and chose to field, marking the third straight toss win for the team in the series. Santner acknowledged that his side had posted a fine total of 200 on a good pitch, and he lauded the Indian bowlers for their control in the second phase of New Zealand's innings.

He also pointed to dew as a key problem, saying it made stopping runs far more difficult in the second innings. The captain was quick to recognise the way India's batters used the powerplay to set the tone.

For New Zealand, there were encouraging signs. Glenn Phillips had scored 82 not out and 70 in the opening two matches, while Daryl Mitchell made a career-best 89 not out in the third. Santner said the team's confidence was growing as batters repeatedly stood up, and he insisted the squad knew where to score against these bowlers.