Abhishek Sharma scored 68 from 23 balls, registering India’s second-fastest T20I fifty off 14 deliveries
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi starred with the ball as New Zealand were restricted to 153-9
India chased the target inside 10 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav unbeaten on 57
Abhishek Sharma smashed an unbeaten 14-ball fifty to guide India to an eight-wicket win over New Zealand, helping them claim a 3-0 lead in the ongoing T20I series.
India's bowlers did much of the work in the first innings in Guwahati, with Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-18) enjoying prolific returns to the T20I side.
New Zealand lost Devon Conway (one), Rachin Ravindra (four), and Tim Seifert (12) inside the powerplay, hampering their chances of a big total.
Glenn Phillips (48), Mark Chapman (32), and captain Mitchell Santner (27 off 17) chipped in with impactful cameos to carry the Black Caps to 153-9 after 20 overs, but it was not enough to slow down the Abhishek show.
Despite Matt Henry (1-28) knocking over Sanju Samson's off stump in the very first delivery, India's batters showed no signs of playing with caution as Ishan Kishan (28 off 13) took 16 runs off the remaining five balls.
Abhishek delighted the Guwahati crowd with a scintillating knock of 68 not out, taking down Henry, Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi in the process.
After Kishan was dismissed inside the powerplay, India captain Suryakumar Yadav continued his return to form with an unbeaten 57 off 26, eventually sealing the win with 60 balls to spare by carting Phillips for one six and two fours in the 10th over.
Data Debrief: Abhishek slams India's second-fastest T20I fifty
It does not take long for Abhishek to get going in T20I cricket, and Sunday was no exception. The southpaw smacked India's second-fastest fifty in T20 internationals, reaching the milestone from just 14 balls.
In the process, he broke his team-mate Hardik Pandya's previous mark of fifty off 16 balls, set against South Africa last month.
The only quicker T20I fifty for India remains the iconic 12-ball effort from Abhishek's mentor, Yuvraj Singh, who famously achieved the feat against England in 2007 when he smacked Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.
Abhishek's blistering innings also powered India to their 11th consecutive series or tournament victory in T20I cricket.
