Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik praised India’s dominating six-wicket win against New Zealand in the third T20I at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday. The visitors were able to chase down 199 runs with 40 balls as Abhishek Sharma took the home team’s bowlers to the cleaners.
Sharma smashed a blistering knock of 113 runs off just 38 balls with the help of nine fours and 11 sixes. Furthermore, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 45 runs off just 19 balls and he added 133 runs off 43 balls with Abhishek.
Karthik said India showed why they are the best T20I side in the world after taking an impregnable 3-0 lead in the series.
“What we have seen today is exceptional, to say the least. This is the No. 1-ranked team in the world, showing the rest of the cricketing nations why they are notches ahead of anybody even close to them. We have to understand that New Zealand were the finalists in the World Cup, and India have gone to their territory and absolutely slapped them across the face and said, ‘Hello, don’t even bother competing with us, because we are from a different stratosphere altogether. This is just extraordinary shot-making. India made it look too easy, they were playing like they were playing against U-13 cricketers,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
India opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added 118 runs in the Powerplay overs, with the former completing his fifty off just 15 balls.
“By now, we should be used to what he (Abhishek Sharma) can do in a powerplay. He goes after bowlers without any inhibitions whatsoever. He is making it a habit to get us off to great starts. The bowling unit feels like it is game over. When the first over was done, you almost felt like the game was done. India were just absolutely propelling forward like a rocket. By the time the fifth over came, New Zealand were deflated, they were gone, they knew that these guys are from a different planet altogether,” Karthik added.
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
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