India chase 199 in 13.2 overs to clinch T20 series against New Zealand

India beat New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20 International in Wellington. New Zealand scored 198, and India reached the target of 199 in 13.2 overs. The result secures the five-match series for India with two matches remaining. BBC Sport describes this as an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Opener Abhishek Sharma scored 113 from 38 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 45 from 19 balls. The pair added 133 for the first wicket in about seven overs. Al Jazeera gives the stand as 7.1 overs, while BBC Sport says seven overs.

For New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 89 from 52 balls. Finn Allen made 40 from 25 balls.

How the chase unfolded

According to BBC Sport, Abhishek reached his fifty in 15 balls and his century in 35. BBC Sport reports that his India record for the fastest T20 hundred, 30 balls, was set against Afghanistan last month. It also reports that India's powerplay score of 118 set a new record for international T20s. Al Jazeera does not report this figure.

BBC Sport reports that Sooryavanshi is 15 and was out in the eighth over. According to Al Jazeera, he was promoted to open after batting at number three in the second match. It says he hit four fours and four sixes.

Al Jazeera reports that Kyle Jamieson dismissed Abhishek with India on 178-2 after 10 overs. According to BBC Sport, the middle order scored the remaining 21 runs, and India finished on 199-4. BBC Sport lists Jamieson's figures as 2-45. It lists captain Mitchell Santner's figures as 1-17 from three overs. Al Jazeera says Jacob Duffy's first over cost 26 runs.

New Zealand's innings

According to Al Jazeera, India won the toss for the third match in a row and chose to bowl. Tim Seifert was out for 2, top-edging a delivery from Arshdeep Singh. Mitchell and Allen then shared an 86-run partnership. Mitchell hit five fours and five sixes. Bevon Jacobs made an unbeaten 39 from 23 balls. BBC Sport gives New Zealand's total as 198-3 from 20 overs.

Al Jazeera reports that the match was played on Tuesday. It says the fourth match is scheduled at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday. BBC Sport reports that five one-day internationals and two Tests will follow the T20 series.

What each side says

Al Jazeera quoted Abhishek as saying: "The key was pretty simple: Vaibhav and I enjoyed our time." He also said: "When we were fielding, we saw there was some extra bounce. Vaibhav started off well, and we took the momentum from there."

Al Jazeera identifies Shreyas Iyer as India's captain. It quoted him as saying: "Getting 100 in five overs – I have not seen that before at the international level." He added: "Credit where it is due, the way they played was exceptional." The reports do not show the over-by-over scoring behind his remark.

No New Zealand player, captain or coach is quoted in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi.

Analysis

With the series decided, the final two matches carry no bearing on the result. They may still offer both teams a chance to test players and combinations before the one-day and Test matches that BBC Sport says will follow. For India, the opening partnership between Abhishek and Sooryavanshi may draw attention, particularly given the teenager's reported move up the order. For New Zealand, the scoreline suggests that a total near 200 did not prove defensible in this match. Whether the bowling plans change is not addressed in the reports. Neither team's plans for the remaining matches are described.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.