Whenever a team is on a roll, almost every decision seems to fall perfectly into place, and that was very much the case for India in the third T20 international against New Zealand at the ACA Stadium on Sunday. India rested their trump card Varun Chakaravarthy and handed a chance to Ravi Bishnoi, a move that paid rich dividends.
Playing his first international match in nearly 11 months, the 25-year-old Bishnoi showed no signs of rust. He delivered a superb spell of two for 18 and, alongside the imperious Jasprit Bumrah, who returned figures of three for 17, ensured the Men in Blue restricted the visitors to just 153 for nine.
With the bowlers having laid the perfect foundation, the task for the batters was simple. Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav did far more than required, chasing down the target in a stunning 10 overs to seal an eight-wicket win and a ninth consecutive T20 series triumph, completing a 3-0 clean sweep.
Though Sanju Samson was dismissed off the first ball of the chase, any early hope for the Kiwis was quickly snuffed out by Abhishek and Ishan Kishan. Kishan set the tone by smashing Matt Henry for two sixes and a four in the opening over. From there, Abhishek took complete control, unleashing a breathtaking display of power-hitting.
His innings was a blend of brute force and finesse, featuring towering hits over the leg-side, audacious slices through the off-side and clean blows down the ground. By the time he lofted Jacob Duffy over square-leg for his fourth maximum, Abhishek had brought up the second-fastest half-century by an Indian, off just 14 balls. Suryakumar, who has rediscovered his touch in this series, then took charge, scoring an unbeaten 57 to finish the game in style.
Earlier, New Zealand’s innings faltered almost immediately when Harshit Rana dismissed Devon Conway in the first over, the fifth time he had fallen to Rana on this tour. Bishnoi then choked the middle overs, tying down Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips, while Bumrah was relentless at the other end. The Indian batters ensured there was no twist at the end, putting the final flourish on a dominant series performance.
